WIMBLEDON, England — Simply hours after profitable her fourth title on the French Open final June, Iga Swiatek was requested by a reporter in regards to the upcoming grass season.
With the beginning of Wimbledon simply weeks away, there have been just a few alternatives to play in warmup occasions on the floor. Swiatek did not appear involved.
“If I’d lose right here earlier, possibly I’d be capable of play two extra weeks on grass after which be a greater grass participant,” Swiatek mentioned matter-of-factly. “But when I had to decide on, I like taking part in on clay, so I am not going to surrender that ever.”
Swiatek then opted to skip the entire grass tournaments to deal with relaxation and restoration after the lengthy clay season. She misplaced within the third spherical on the All England Membership.
However this yr, Swiatek did lose earlier at her beloved Roland Garros. She was upset by world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka within the semifinals, ending her dream for a fourth consecutive title on the main. Swiatek — albeit involuntarily — did have extra time to arrange for the grass.
Her phrases from a yr in the past turned out to be proper: The extra weeks on the floor helped her develop into a greater grass participant. However even she seemingly could not have predicted simply how good, and simply how dominant, she would develop into. Or how she would thrive with out the overwhelming consideration and strain that she confronted on the French Open.
And she or he actually could not have guessed that she could be the 2025 Wimbledon champion. However that is precisely what occurred Saturday, following a powerful fortnight and a staggering 6-0, 6-0 victory within the ultimate to win in lower than an hour over No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova.
“Truthfully, I did not even dream [of this] as a result of for me it was simply approach too far,” Swiatek mentioned on court docket simply moments after securing the title. “I really feel like I am already an skilled participant, after profitable Slams earlier than, however I by no means actually anticipated this one.”
Swiatek, 24, has now received six Grand Slam titles, and turns into simply the eighth lady, and the one lively WTA participant, to win main titles on all three surfaces. She’s additionally the youngest to take action since Martina Hingis in 2003. She’s as shocked as anybody that she was in a position to do it.
IRONICALLY, SWIATEK’S HIGH POINT as a junior was at Wimbledon, when she received the ladies’ singles title in 2018.
It was her solely Slam title as a junior, and he or she had been all however untouchable throughout her run. However even the transient recap on the Wimbledon web site after her 6-4, 6-2 triumph within the ultimate said that “clay stays her most popular floor.”
Positive sufficient, the clay was the place Swiatek initially discovered probably the most success as an expert. She reached her first WTA ultimate on the floor after which, as an unseeded 19-year-old and a relative unknown, shocked the tennis world by claiming the title on the pandemic-delayed 2020 French Open.
Whereas many had been unfamiliar with Swiatek and her recreation earlier than the event, she made fairly the impression throughout her run.
“The best way she’s taking part in proper now, it could be exhausting to think about she would not win half a dozen majors,” seven-time main champion and tennis analyst John McEnroe mentioned after her victory. “It is unbelievable.”
The clay remained her bread-and-butter, however she additionally emerged as a powerful hard-court participant as effectively. She received her first title on the floor in Adelaide, a 500-level occasion, simply months after her breakthrough in Paris. She recorded a historic 37-match profitable streak within the spring of 2022 — which included the titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome and the French Open — and clinched the world No. 1 rating for the primary time in April of that yr, following the sudden retirement of Ashleigh Barty. Her profitable streak was stopped within the third spherical of Wimbledon, however she received the US Open by yr’s finish.
Swiatek held the highest rating for 75 weeks. After failing to defend her US Open title in 2023, she fell to No. 2 briefly, and Sabalenka took No. 1, however she reclaimed it simply eight weeks later. The 2024 season was seeking to be equally dominant for Swiatek, as she received 4 of the yr’s first six 1000-level titles after which was victorious once more on the French Open.
“She’s No. 1. I’d say she’s actually good in each asset of the sport,” Sabalenka mentioned after shedding to her within the Italian Open ultimate final yr.
However after hoisting her fifth main trophy, and fourth at Roland Garros, Swiatek struggled, by her requirements anyway. The clear favourite for the 2024 Olympics (held at Roland Garros), Swiatek walked away with the bronze after being upset within the semifinals. She then fell within the quarterfinals on the US Open. She parted methods together with her longtime coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and commenced working with Wim Fissette quickly after. Swiatek acquired a one-month suspension in November after testing constructive for a banned substance.
In that point — a close to eternity for a participant of her caliber — she hadn’t received one other title. All eyes had been on her on the 2025 French Open to see if she might flip issues round. When she did not, her rating fell to a shocking No. 8.
It appeared unlikely that Wimbledon and the grass could be a lot better, as she had by no means fared effectively on the floor or on the event.
Grass is the shortest portion of the annual tennis calendar, and for the three earlier years, Swiatek had received the French Open, solely about three weeks earlier than the beginning of Wimbledon. That left a really quick window to arrange for grass.
“I believe the hardest transition is [on] the grass,” Chris Evert, the 18-time main champion and ESPN analyst, mentioned forward of Wimbledon. “The clay you’ve got bought 5 weeks [of] tournaments [on] the crimson clay. You’ll be able to actually get used to taking part in on clay by the point the French Open comes round, however Wimbledon is actually robust, particularly for gamers who do effectively on the French.”
Evert talked about Coco Gauff as a latest instance. The 2025 French Open champion returned to play after a whirlwind media tour for only one warmup event in Berlin and misplaced in her opening match. She then was upset within the first spherical at Wimbledon.
Along with the short turnaround, clay and grass surfaces are radically completely different. Even a few of the most seasoned veterans battle within the transition between the 2.
“These two surfaces, crimson clay and grass, are polar opposites, and it is advisable to make plenty of changes,” Evert added. “The court docket is completely different. Your positioning is completely different. You have to shorten your strokes. You have to all the time be transferring into the web in the event you can. There are simply so many issues completely different on the clay that you need to consider and make changes.”
Previous to this yr, Swiatek’s greatest consequence at Wimbledon had been a quarterfinal look in 2023. In her restricted grass event appearances throughout that point — she performed in simply three predominant attracts exterior of Wimbledon since turning skilled — she reached only one semifinal, additionally in 2023 at Dangerous Homburg.
However one yr, one event, even one match, can change the whole lot. Swiatek had mentioned she was now not centered on factors or her rating following her French Open exit, and mentioned she could be turning her consideration to the grass nearly instantly.
“Hopefully we’ll have some first rate sort of little preseason on grass, as a result of it is all the time been fairly exhausting to have that, particularly once I wish to be slightly bit house,” Swiatek mentioned final month. “However I do not really feel like I should be house proper now, so possibly I will go someplace in Europe and follow.”
Swiatek returned to competitors rather less than three weeks later at Dangerous Homburg. She superior to her first-ever grass ultimate behind wins over two-time main champion Victoria Azarenka within the spherical of 16 and with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over 2024 Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini within the semifinals. She finally misplaced to Jessica Pegula for the title, however arrived to the All England Membership with momentum on her facet and, as she instructed reporters the following day, “plenty of confidence.”
However there have been far fewer expectations for Swiatek at Wimbledon than on the French Open, and Sabalenka was the overwhelming favourite to win. That every one appeared to swimsuit Swiatek.
Whereas a lot of her top-ranked friends, together with No. 2 Gauff and No. 3 Pegula, fell early within the upset-riddled opening rounds, Swiatek was largely in management and appeared to enhance with each match. En path to the ultimate, she dropped only one set (to American Caty McNally, whom she had received the junior French Open doubles title with in 2018) and was propelled by her sturdy serve, shedding solely six service video games in her first six matches. She routed Belinda Bencic, 6-2, 6-0, within the semifinals on Thursday.
“I simply positively felt like she was fully on hearth,” Bencic later mentioned. “I’ll, in fact, watch the match once more and see additionally with my staff what I might have carried out in a different way, however possibly I’d have needed to play my completely greatest tennis of my life and danger each shot to beat her at this time the best way she performed.”
Pasta with strawberries 🍓@iga_swiatek‘s favorite meal is an attention-grabbing one 😂#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/FJNdwRBE8x
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2025
Alongside the best way, Swiatek gave the impression to be having enjoyable. She went viral for her pasta-and-strawberries dish and for her affinity for the Wimbledon towels. She was hilariously noticed all through the event hoarding as many as she might after matches, even good-naturedly placing her finger over her lip to the digicam as if to maintain it a secret when she put one in her bag after her quarterfinal win.
On Saturday through the ultimate, she had her most dominant efficiency but. Swiatek broke Anisimova within the opening recreation, and there was little doubt the remainder of the best way. She received the primary set in 25 minutes and held Anisimova to simply 9 factors. It was simply the third ladies’s main ultimate, and second within the Open period, to characteristic a 6-0, 6-0 rating. It had solely beforehand occurred at Wimbledon in 1911.
When requested by ESPN’s Mary Joe Fernandez after the match to clarify what she had simply achieved, Swiatek mentioned she did not assume she might.
Come to Wimbledon for the tennis? Possibly.
Come to Wimbledon so as to add to the towel assortment? Completely.Iga, we perceive. We get it. 😉#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/5sCNJpZADI
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2025
“I used to be actually competing all through the entire two weeks,” Swiatek mentioned. “It doesn’t matter what occurred earlier than the season, I simply trusted the method and the issues that my coach needed me to do on grass. So it was all fairly easy what I needed to do on the court docket.
“I believe I used to be serving nice and I simply leaned on that. Had plenty of confidence on each match and, and this occurred. So it is all fairly surreal and loopy. I am unable to clarify that, however I am tremendous completely happy and I will benefit from the subsequent days for certain.”
Her 35 complete video games misplaced all through the event had been the fewest by any ladies’s champion at Wimbledon since Martina Navratilova in 1990.
AFTER AN EMOTIONAL hug with Anisimova on the internet on the match’s conclusion, Swiatek ran over to her field to have fun together with her staff. Regardless of the rating and the lopsided contest, Swiatek gave the impression to be in disbelief. When she was again on the court docket forward of the trophy ceremony, she emphatically shook her head when it was positioned in her fingers as she stared again up at these within the field.
With the Wimbledon trophy, Swiatek is now only one main title behind Venus Williams for probably the most amongst lively gamers on the WTA Tour. She is going to now be again as much as No. 3 within the newest rankings.
Whereas she had by no means been a lot of an element at Wimbledon earlier than, Swiatek discovered a solution to win her maybe unlikeliest of main titles, at maybe the unlikeliest time in her younger profession. She nonetheless would not name herself a grass-court specialist Saturday and admitted she did not know what to anticipate going into the ultimate.
“I sort of simply needed to benefit from the second as a result of with my earlier [Wimbledon] outcomes, I wasn’t certain if I will have one other likelihood,” Swiatek instructed Fernandez. “I nonetheless felt like an underdog and I needed to essentially simply soak in each minute of being on Centre Court docket and appreciating already what I did at this event, however however, going for extra and being courageous.”
She might have been beneath the radar on the event, and even barely not sure of herself, however that will not occur once more. Nor will she be discounted at any event within the close to future. All through the fortnight, she left little doubt about her capacity and her willingness to adapt and develop as a participant, no matter floor. In doing so, she solidified her standing as an all-surface participant and reclaimed her standing among the many recreation’s greatest. Swiatek is now as soon as once more on high of the tennis world.
Simply over 5 weeks in the past, Swiatek left Roland Garros dissatisfied and dejected. She hadn’t received the title. Questions on her future and her latest incapability to win titles swirled.
However on Saturday, as she stood on Centre Court docket with the admiring eyes of greater than 14,000 followers and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, on her, she questioned if it was the most effective issues that would have occurred to her profession. What comes subsequent for Swiatek nobody is aware of, however on Saturday, all felt proper for her.
“I do not actually care what is going on to occur,” Swiatek mentioned about the remainder of the season. “It is exhausting to check [this title] to the opposite Grand Slams, however yeah, I really feel like I am simply going to take pleasure in it and luxuriate in the best way I felt on the court docket over the previous few weeks. There have been lots of people, particularly again house, [who] sort of doubted me and never making it simple for me to do my job, and I imply, the expectations and the whole lot.
“So I hope I show to everyone that they need to simply sort of go away me alone, let me do my work, let me deal with myself, and I will have nice performances as I did at this time.”