"When I see Venus or Serena I still see them as two legends, I don't consider myself a legend" - Iga Swiatek after Wimbledon 1R win
Iga Swiatek hailed the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, as legends of the game following her Wimbledon first-round win over Jana Fett on Tuesday.
With the win, Swiatek broke Venus' record of 35 wins for the longest win streak by a female player this century. During this period, the Pole has captured six titles, including Roland Garros and four WTA 1000 events.
While Venus Williams will be absent from this year's singles event at Wimbledon, she will partner with Jamie Murray for the mixed doubles event. Meanwhile, her younger sister Serena is set to take to the court later on Tuesday for her first-round match.
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Meanwhile, following her record-breaking win, Swiatek downplayed the significance of her achievement, saying she still has a long way to go to be called a legend.
"I don't think about that, when I see Venus or Serena I still see them as two legends, I don't consider myself a legend," said Swiatek. "For me, the legends represent players who have been the best in the entire history of tennis, so I'm still a long way from being there."
Nevertheless, the 21-year-old sounded pleased with her consistency across surfaces, thanks to the hard work she has put in on the practice courts.
"For me it is incredible to be living this type of streak, it reflects all the work we have been putting into every match," said Swiatek. I am happy to have shown my consistency, that was always my goal. I did not know that it would be possible to achieve it, now it is a factor that I always use in my favour”.
It's a huge privilege to open play on Centre Court - Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek's clash against Jana Fett was the first match scheduled on Centre Court on the second day of action at Wimbledon 2022.
Riding her imperious form, Swiatek made quick work of the Croation qualifier, dropping only three games to move into the second round. Following her facile win, the Pole said it was an honour for her to open play on Centre Court in the absence of the retired defending champion Ashleigh Barty.
"It's a huge privilege that I was chosen as the one who would be opening, it wasn’t obvious, as Ash would’ve been the one opening if she was here. There are many great champions in the draw, so I just felt like it’s an honour, so I’m pretty happy that it was a good match from me, and it was a good performance," Swiatek said.
"I'm really motivated to play well here"
No.1 seed Iga Swiatek speaks after a record-breaking win on Centre Court
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Iga Swiatek will next take on Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove on Thursday for a place in the third round.