"The US Open felt like the first tournament since Roland Garros where I felt very free" - Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek has had a dream run this season, winning seven titles, including two Grand Slams. The reigning French Open and US Open champion recently gave an interview to Vogue where she spoke about her meteoric rise.
Fresh off her historic win at the #USOpen, @iga_swiatek brings her trophy to the plaza! 🏆🎾 https://t.co/nSWMmm1Tdw
Swiatek was asked if she had any expectations or specific goals heading into the US Open. The Pole responded by saying that her remarkable success earlier in the season put a lot of pressure on her.
"It was very surreal, but it also created this feeling that I really had to perform at my very best in every match," Iga Swiatek said. "So after Roland Garros, I needed a few tournaments to let those feelings settle down and change my attitude a bit, and I feel like I managed to do that just before the U.S. Open, so that was perfect timing."
Swiatek added that her attitude changed just before the US Open and that allowed her to "play more freely."
"The conditions here not being my favorite helped, because I realized that I had already done so much this year, and I didn’t really have anything left to chase," she said. "I won those tournaments in the first part of the season, and actually, I’m satisfied with that. That allowed me to play more freely. The U.S. Open felt like the first tournament since Roland Garros where I felt very free."
"The least pressure I have ever felt was on my first Grand Slam final" - Iga Swiatek
In the same interview with Vogue, Iga Swiatek was asked whether winning Roland Garros made it easier for her in the US Open final.
In response, the World No. 1 reflected on her first Roland Garros win back in 2020 and said that it was the least pressure she felt in a Grand Slam final since she was the underdog.
"The weirdest thing is that I actually think the least pressure I have ever felt was on my first Grand Slam final, because I felt like I was still an underdog, and I had already made it to the final which was a great result for me—I wasn’t even seeded back then," she said.
How it started How it ended https://t.co/0J5HlPdr2s
Iga Swiatek then spoke about the US Open final, which she said was "different than any other Slam."
"The U.S. Open final is a little bit different than any other Slam. It’s louder, for one. [Laughs.] It’s much bigger, and you can see all the celebrities coming in, and the atmosphere is just totally different. I could feel what was at stake."