Class: History-Making Swiatek Says Don’t Forget about Aga Radwanska
Iga Swiatek is mature beyond her years, both on the court and off. The 19-year-old became the youngest player to win Roland Garros in 28 years on Saturday in Paris, defeating Sofia Kenin to complete an absolutely magnificent tournament that saw her drop just 28 games, and never more than five in a single match.
After the match she was asked about her history-making status, as the first Polish player to ever win a Grand Slam singles titles. Her answer speaks volumes about the type of person she is and the amount of respect she has for her sport, and her country.To the question, What does it mean to you to be the first Grand Slam winner from Poland? Swiatek was very quick to mention former World No.1 and Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska, who is an absolute legend of the game (not that anyone needed to tell Swiatek).“I'm just proud of myself,” Swiatek started. “I've done a great job past two weeks. I wasn't expecting to win this trophy. It's obviously amazing for me. It's, like, life-changing experience.”The Pole then she quickly turned the conversation to the woman that changed the course of Polish tennis during her career—the woman known to many simply as “The Ninja.”“Yeah, I just feel like I kind of made history,” Swiatek said. “But I still think that Radwanska, she achieved a lot because she played on the top level of WTA for, I don't know, 12 years. I don't even know the number. I know there's going to be a lot of people who are going to compare us. But I think I have to be really consistent for the next couple years for everybody to name me like the best player in Poland because still I have a lot to do. Still I think that's kind of her place, you know.”
We’re looking forward to watching Swiatek strives for the consistency she speaks of.“I feel like I can do progress in most [areas of my game] because I'm only 19,” she said. “I know my game isn't developed perfectly. Also I think the biggest change for me is going to be to be consistent. I think this is what women's tennis is struggling with. That's why we have so many new Grand Slam winners because we are not, like, as consistent as Rafa, Roger, and Novak. That's why my goal is going to be to be consistent. It's going to be really hard to achieve that.” ]]>
