Iga Swiatek took the world by storm when she burst onto the tennis scene. She quickly rose through the ranks and stamped her authority on the tennis court. With 4 Grand Slam titles under her belt already, the Pole is the world’s best player at present. Defeating Swiatek is every player’s dream.
However, Iga has often come under fire for her emotional outbursts on the court. She frequently breaks down in tears during difficult passages of play. Swiatek was visibly emotional after her loss to Jessica Pegula at this year’s United Cup singles.
Being the world’s number one player means additional scrutiny from everyone. Swiatek admitted that crying is not dissimilar to screaming in victory- both are a part of human nature.
Former tennis player Jimmy Arias, however, does not mind her outbursts. His problem with Iga is of a different kind. He thinks Iga is not a good role model for women’s tennis for a very particular reason.
“From my standpoint, I don’t think she’s been great for women’s tennis because she wears her hat so low that you can’t even see her face or her eyes during a match. So you don’t get a connection as much as you could,” said Arias.
“I don’t mind her getting angry in some ways, but I want to see her personality,” added the former world number five (via Tennis-infinity). Despite being the leading player of her generation, Iga is still very young.
Swiatek had a disappointing end to her Wimbledon outing, where she was knocked out by Elina Svitolina. Their quarterfinal match was a stunning display of skill and nerves. It remains Iga’s best performance at SW19 to date.
Iga Swiatek reflects on her journey and role as a player
Iga Swiatek quickly became a force to be reckoned with at the start of her career. With 4 Grand Slam titles to her name, it is still hard for Iga to process that she is among the elite. At the start of the year, Iga, a self-proclaimed introvert, penned her thoughts for the Players’ Tribune.
Swiatek reflected on her journey as an athlete, from her her childhood experiences to winning a Grand Slam. Poland has not produced many elite tennis players, so opportunities were hard to come by.
“I never really believed that it actually was going to be possible for me to win a Grand Slam or be world No. 1, because I’m not from a country with a long tradition of playing tennis,” Iga wrote.
“I already feel like I did something great, and I already feel like in my country I make people proud.”@iga_swiatek on what being Polish means to her. https://t.co/maZXoogOLt pic.twitter.com/5ozhWBsjDk
— The Players’ Tribune (@PlayersTribune) January 12, 2023
“When I looked at how many people actually succeeded in tennis in Poland not so long ago, it was only Agnieszka Radwanska really, so I just didn’t think it’d be possible.”
Swiatek’s story is one of perseverance and hard work. In the end, her efforts paid off and she became the first Polish athlete to win a slam. In 2022 alone, Iga won 8 titles, including 2 Grand Slams- the French Open and the US Open.
She rose to the top of the ranking with her 35-match winning streak during the season. Despite all her self-doubts, Iga Swiatek is one of the biggest role models in women’s tennis.