During her recent Canadian Open press conference, Iga Swiatek couldn’t hold her amusement over a hilarious coincidence that caused the audience to burst into fits of laughter. The main court in Montreal’s tennis complex shares the same name as our Polish tennis star and is called ‘Stade IGA,’ named after a supermarket in Quebec.
With a mischievous grin, Swiatek made a witty remark, “Well, having the stadium named after me, huge privilege. Let’s pretend that’s the story. I feel more happy when I see that it’s ‘Iga Stadium,’ so it’s nice. They should do this more often.” Swiatek went on to say that it is a nice coincidence, and fun too, and implied that she would love to have more of such again, triggering fans’ reactions.
Iga 🤝 IGA Stadium#OBN23 pic.twitter.com/S9nzxrSbgA
— Omnium Banque Nationale (@OBNmontreal) August 6, 2023
Welcome to Iga’s stand up 😄
— Gosia (@GKulikowska) August 6, 2023
Iga, it was named after you. They just didn’t know it yet!
— Kami (@kamilamkamilaa) August 6, 2023
Swiatek continued to have some more fun with this narrative, going to the stadium and posing for a picture where the IGA on it is clearly visible. Last year’s event was held in Toronto, so she couldn’t have this playful moment. The stadium underwent name changes in the past, including being called Uniprix Stadium and Du Maurier Stadium before it was renamed IGA.
Iga poses in front of her namesake stadium
Feeding into the hilarity, Swiatek went all out, striking a pose next to the “IGA” sign at the stadium, giving the paparazzi a good laugh. Last year’s event was in Toronto, so this playful moment was missed, but now the stars have aligned, and the stadium has embraced its true identity – the home of our fabulous Iga Swiatek!
Welcome to IGA Stadium… step right in! pic.twitter.com/MjGJPqaWZC
— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) August 5, 2023
She’s ready to take on the competition with a big smile and a lighthearted attitude, reminding us all that tennis can be fun too! As she embarks on her North American foray, Swiatek has the perfect recipe for success; laughter, wit, and a lot of talent! Let’s cheer for ‘Iga Stadium’ and see what magic our tennis superstar brings to the court!!
Canadian Open: Can Aryna Sabalenka dethrone Iga Swiatek as World No. 1?
Iga Swiatek starts her 71st week at number one in the latest WTA rankings, putting her in 10th place among WTA players with the most weeks at no. 1. She ties Danish star Caroline Wozniacki in that regard but she will face tough competition from Belarusian star Sabalenka in her bid to retain the top spot at the Canadian Open this week.
Currently, ranked as the world number two, Sabalenka with 8,845 points, trails the leader Swiatek by 645 points, who is on 9,490 points. The fight for the WTA throne between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka will unfold during the North American hardcourt season with the WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal.
The results at the Omnium Banque Nationale (after the name of its main sponsors), will be crucial in determining the rankings. In the 2022 Canadian Open, both the Polish and Belarusian players were eliminated in the round of 16.
Sabalenka’s chances of conquering the top ranking are closely linked to her performance in the tournament. To become number one, she must win the Montreal tournament and hope Swiatek doesn’t have a better showing than the previous year. Swiatek on the other hand needs to just reach the quarter-final to keep her top spot intact.