Iga Swiatek: "It's hard to describe, I felt suddenly tired of these 3 weeks"
Iga Swiatek's French Open title defense was complete when Karolina Muchova double-faulted on match point in the final. Immediately after, the Pole sat down on the court as tears broke out after an almost three-hour battle.
Swiatek won her third Roland Garros title and fourth Grand Slam on Saturday while becoming the first woman to retain the Paris Major title since Justine Henin in 2007. The win also ensures she leaves the French capital with her World No. 1 ranking intact.
In a post-match press conference, Swiatek explained the emotions that overcame her after the win. The Polish star said that she wasn't thinking of the title as she knew Muchova was capable of coming from a set down to win matches.
"At first I was surprised, because I saw all these matches of Karolina when she was actually coming back from scores like that, before the match point I wasn't really thinking it's going to happen now. I just kind of, I just played -- I just gave it all. But I was a little bit surprised that it actually happened, you know. She was always coming back," she said.
Swiatek further said that when the weight of expectations was finally lifted from her shoulders, she felt happy but also tired from everything she had gone through in her three weeks in Paris.
The Pole acknowledged that while she wasn't physically strained during her title run, she was mentally exhausted.
"I don't know what I felt. It's hard to describe. But a lot of happiness. I felt suddenly, you know, tired of these three weeks. Maybe my matches weren't like physically exhausting, but it's pretty hard to kind of keep your focus for these almost three weeks," she said.
Swiatek went on to add that she has been on the move since competing in Stuttgart and is relieved to finish the claycourt swing on a high.
"Since Stuttgart I haven't been home. So I'm happy that, I don't know, I finished the whole clay court swing so well, and that I kind of survived. I guess I'm never going to kind of doubt my strength again maybe because of that," she added, with a smile.
"I don't know what I'm kind of capable of" - Iga Swiatek says she's still finding herself as a player
Iga Swiatek jumped to the top of the WTA rankings when Ashleigh Barty surprised everyone by announcing her retirement last year. Throughout 2022, Swiatek had a massive lead over the rest of the chasing pack, sometimes even having twice as many ranking points as the No. 2 player.
However, for the first time in 62 weeks since she became the World No. 1, Swiatek faced the real possibility of being knocked off the perch. While Aryna Sabalenka was the player who could do it, she had to reign supreme in Paris to do so. The Belarusian, however, fell short in the end.
Having achieved a lot in her career already, Swiatek is looking ahead without any expectations. She also stated that she isn't yet aware of her ceiling as a player and is still working to find her best form.
"I'm not really looking that far [about what I want to achieve or how many titles to win]. I'm just happy with what happened during these past few weeks. I don't know what I'm kind of capable of. So I will work day by day to, you know, play best game possible and to develop as a player," she said.
"I'm not setting like any, these crazy records or goals for myself. I know that keeping it cool is the best way to do it for me. I'm trying more to do that," she added.
With three French Open titles, Swiatek has matched Monica Seles, Serena Williams, Margaret Court, and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario's achievements in Paris.
At the tender age of 22 years, she could well surpass them and write her legacy on the hallowed red dirt, just as her idol Rafael Nadal has done.