Things you don’t know about Iga Swiatek. Did you know that just a week before her first Grand
Slam trophy, Swiatek was not sure if she would commit to tennis long-term or go to university?
Guess you didn’t. Today, we will be going deep into the rarest facts
you didn’t know about the current world number.
HER DAD WAS AN OLYMPIAN Świątek comes from a sporting
family and her dad Tomasz was an admirable rower. He represented Poland at the Olympic Games in
Seoul in 1988 in men’s quadruple sculls coming in 7th place,
and at the World Championships taking 5th place, among other achievements.
Her older sister, Aga, also played tennis for a while but eventually
decided to study at the university like their mom.
He once joked a few years ago that he had already learned from his mistakes
regarding his daughter’s tennis career. He hoped whatever didn’t work with Aga would work with Iga.
SHE IS A BIG RAFAEL NADAL FAN Iga has been a Rafael Nadal
fan for a long time and now roots for him anytime she gets the opportunity.
She once explained that she admired him as an athlete and
loved his fighting spirit and described him as a model sportsman,
claiming he always fights until the very end. She also admitted that she admires his playing
style and high top-spins, stating that she also likes to play the same way. Iga described his
left-handed forehand as amazing and feels that it has earned him more than one tournament win.
She revealed that she likes Roger Federer too and has said it’s hard not to consider him
a legend of the sport as well, but when it comes to style and personality,
Rafael Nadal just does it for her, especially because of his energy.
Swiatek stated that Rafael Nadal’s approach to tennis is what she plans to model her career on.
The legend who holds the most majors in the men’s game with 21
Grand Slams is who Swiatek is looking to imitate as she eyes longer-term success.
In a recent interview, Swiatek once explained that she saw her career plan like Nadal’s. According to
her, she felt closest to his approach because he focused on his day-to-day work without thinking
about records. This approach helped her stay calm, but she also admitted that everyone was different,
which made her understand Novak Djokovic’s way of openly declaring which records he wants to break.
If one thing is for sure, Rafael Nadal definitely inspires her a lot. She claims
she had lots of fun watching him play on TV, and his mental strength was the major lesson
she has learned from his performances. She had even gone as far as crying
once when he lost to Djokovic at the Roland Garros final in 2021.
Ever heard of the calm before the storm? Iga is just exceptional;
SHE LISTENS TO ROCK MUSIC BEFORE HER MATCHES.
Most players are always tense before the game, but Iga claims she is always calm
and prefers to listen to music to relax before a game;
her playlist includes; Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd, Santana, Coldplay, and AC/DC.
Wonder how she is so fascinated with rock music from the past?
Well, she explained that when she was going to tournaments,
that’s the music her coaches listened to, and it just stayed with her. So she grew fond of it.
According to her, music had more value in the past, which is why
she is so fascinated with older music. She claims it had a greater spirit, triggered
emotions in her, and was less synthetic.” She claims Guns ‘N’ Roses is one of her
go-to bands because listening to them helps her to keep her routine. She claims she stays with Guns
N’ Roses because she wants to win. Looks like it is clearly paying off for the rising star.
When she made the last 16 in Paris in 2019, she admitted that she was discovering Pink Floyd.
“I love Learning to Fly, Comfortably Numb, and lately I’ve been hearing Shine on You
Crazy Diamond,” she told WTA Insider in an interview. “If I want something more belligerent,
AC/DC gets me in the mood. I’ve also been listening to Thunderstruck before matches.”
Music therapy has definitely worked wonders for the youngsters.
Aside from her love for music, she also loves the famous series Mad Men.
SHE LOVES MADMEN
When Swiatek was once asked about her favorite series, she didn’t hesitate to say, Mad Men.
She recalled, “This series has a calm, retro atmosphere, as it happens in the ‘60s,
but at the same time, it portrays the early stages of advertising in the US in an engaging way. It’s
important for me that I can learn something motivating from a series, and this one shows
many instruments and ideas, which are obvious for us, but were something brand new at that time.”
SHE IS A CAT LOVER Iga is a cat lover and has only one at her
house at the moment, and his name is black Grappa, but she would certainly want to have more than one
cat someday. She loves to take time outs during her practice sessions to spend time with Grappa.
When asked about the meaning of the name, the youngster said with a smile,
“Well… it’s easy to figure out” I’m still yet to figure that one out.
SHE LIKES HISTORICAL BOOKS
Iga revealed that she really enjoyed Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones.
She also likes to read historical novels by Ken Follett,
but she said they are usually thick volumes, so sometimes she opts for something lighter
and decides to choose Dan Brown or some crime novels.
SHE IS THE FIRST POLISH TO WIN A GRAND SLAM SINGLES TITLE AND
THE YOUNGEST WOMAN TO WIN THE FRENCH OPEN
At the age of 19, Iga became the first Polish player to win a Grand Slam singles title
after beating Sofia Kenin in the French Open final.
Safeguarding a first Grand Slam title was supposed to be a difficult task,
but Iga Swiatek crowned an astonishing performance, defeating Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-1.
Swiatek, who did not drop a set in the tournament, produced another daring
display as she became the first Polish player to win a Grand Slam singles title.
She only showed weakness briefly in the first set, letting slip a 3-0 lead,
but having bordered a tightly-contested opening set, she romped to victory,
even though fourth seed Kenin’s challenge appeared to be disadvantaged by a thigh injury.
21-year-old Kenin, who was an Australian Open champion at the time, needed treatment at 1-2
in the second set, but after the resumption, Swiatek was completely ruthless, conceding
just three more points and sealing the title with an unstoppable forehand. Swiatek, who was ranked
54th at the time, became the youngest woman to win the French Open since Monica Seles in 1992
and the first woman to win without dropping a set during the fortnight since Justine Henin in 2007.
After her victory, she celebrated with her father Tomasz, who was a former Olympic rower.
Swiatek was the lowest-ranked woman to win the French Open
since the rankings were announced in 1975. She was a major underdog when she won the tournament.
SHE BRINGS A PSYCHOLOGIST TO ALL HER TOURNAMENTS
Because of her struggles with her emotions on the court,
Iga has a sports psychologist named Daria Abramowicz. She is a permanent member of
Świątek’s coaching team and goes to all her tournaments alongside coach Piotr Sierzputowski.
Swiatek has reiterated many times that Daria helps her a lot. She once explained
before a match against Simona Halep in Paris that her psychologist made sure she had a
positive attitude towards the duel, and thanks to that, she was able to take the initiative”. Daria
once gave her a ukulele, a musical instrument used to help her control her emotions better.
In an interview with “Tennis Majors,” Daria spoke about what makes Iga Swiatek
different and the impact of her influence on Iga’s game or during Iga’s media interviews.
Daria revealed that Iga understood the importance of psychology, mental training, and sports
psychology in general which has helped her to succeed at a top level in tennis. The specialist
explained that even on Iga’s worst day, she was always open-minded, able to process things,
and ready to learn, and they have found ways to work well together. Daria claims that we can hear
a lot of her thoughts and knowledge she is passing unto Iga when we listen to Iga’s interviews.
According to Daria Abramowicz, winning in Paris has been a crucial experience for Iga Swiatek.
She said Iga has become more mature than before, steadier, and more thoughtful about some things.
Which of these unknown facts surprised you? Comment below!