"I was a meme queen at my middle school, maybe that's another thing I was born to do" - Iga Swiatek on her social media popularity
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has joked that she's been a "meme queen" ever since her time in middle school, but admitted that she doesn't know whether to be satisfied or upset with the tag.
Swiatek's popularity has soared over the past couple of years and she's sparked joy across the tennis community not only with her style of play, but also with her wildy entertaining reactions.
Speaking to WTA Insider after her triumph in Stuttgart, Swiatek said her funny expressions and reactions made her the butt of many jokes growing up as well.
"Honestly, I was already a meme queen at my middle school. But that was pretty mean from the other kids. But I was. Maybe that's another thing I was born to do. I don't know if I should be happy or sad about that," she said.
Swiatek captured her fourth successive WTA title after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the Stuttgart final. The Pole said she was surprised she managed to win the title since she was not playing at 100 percent.
"Well, this is another tournament where I surprised myself," Swiatek said. "That I can do it and basically that I don’t need to be 100 percent perfectly prepared or I don’t need to feel 100 percent to still play really good tennis and play solid matches. The transition was pretty quick and I had a lot of doubts. I just didn’t want to really focus on that and I just focused on what I have influence on. So, yeah, this is another tournament that has shown me that I can do it no matter what."
"The last time I played on clay was a year ago, so I wasn't sure how well I was going to transition" - Iga Swiatek
During the conversation with WTA Insider, Swiatek also admitted that she had doubts over how quickly she could transition to clay after spending so many months playing on hardcourt.
"Basically the last time I played on clay was a year ago, so I wasn't sure how well I was going to transition and whether I could actually do it in two days. Before the first match I think I spent two hours on court. I always heard that this surface is tricky and it's weird and different than any other. So that's why I had most of my doubts, basically," Swiatek continued.
The Pole said she was proud of the way she fought and adapted to different situations over the course of the week in Stuttgart.
"I'm pretty proud of myself that during the tournament I was able to adjust and to learn, because before it wasn't that easy. Right now I feel like during I can learn a lot so it's just more peaceful at the beginning because I can trust my skills and my abilities a little bit more," she concluded.
"Honestly, I was already a meme queen at my middle school.”
Iga Swiatek is an entertainer. She’s proven that throughout her 23-match, 4 title streak.
The #PorscheTennis champion joins the podcast for the Champions Corner: wtatennis.com/news/2591034/c… https://t.co/3zX1M2DjPl
The World No. 1 will now shift her focus to the Madrid Open, where she will undoubtedly be one of the favorites for the title.