WIMBLEDON, England — Simply hours after successful her fourth title on the French Open final June, Iga Swiatek was requested by a reporter concerning 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 might lose right here earlier, possibly I might be capable to 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 really like taking part in on clay, so I am not going to surrender that ever.”
Swiatek then opted to skip all the grass tournaments to give attention to relaxation and restoration after the lengthy clay season. She misplaced within the third spherical on the All England Membership.
However this 12 months, 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 organize for the grass.
Her phrases from a 12 months in the past turned out to be proper: The extra weeks on the floor helped her turn into a greater grass participant. However even she probably could not have predicted simply how good, and simply how dominant, she would turn into. Or how she would thrive with out the overwhelming consideration and strain that she confronted on the French Open.
And he or she definitely could not have guessed that she can 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 closing to win in lower than an hour over No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova.
“Actually, I did not even dream [of this] as a result of for me it was simply method too far,” Swiatek mentioned on court docket simply moments after securing the title. “I really feel like I am already an skilled participant, after successful Slams earlier than, however I by no means actually anticipated this one.”
Swiatek, 24, has now gained six Grand Slam titles, and turns into simply the eighth lady, and the one energetic 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 capable of do it.
IRONICALLY, SWIATEK’S HIGH POINT as a junior was at Wimbledon, when she gained the ladies’ singles title in 2018.
It was her solely Slam title as a junior, and she or he had been all however untouchable throughout her run. However even the brief recap on the Wimbledon web site after her 6-4, 6-2 triumph within the closing acknowledged that “clay stays her most well-liked floor.”
Certain sufficient, the clay was the place Swiatek initially discovered essentially the most success as knowledgeable. She reached her first WTA closing on the floor after which, as an unseeded 19-year-old and a relative unknown, shocked the tennis world by claiming the title at the pandemic-delayed 2020 French Open.
Whereas many have been unfamiliar with Swiatek and her sport earlier than the event, she made fairly the impression throughout her run.
“The way in which she’s taking part in proper now, it could be laborious 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 robust hard-court participant as effectively. She gained 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 successful 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 12 months, following the sudden retirement of Ashleigh Barty. Her successful streak was stopped within the third spherical of Wimbledon, however she gained the US Open by 12 months’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 gained 4 of the 12 months’s first six 1000-level titles after which was victorious once more on the French Open.
“She’s No. 1. I might say she’s actually good in each asset of the sport,” Sabalenka mentioned after shedding to her within the Italian Open closing final 12 months.
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 along with her longtime coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and started working with Wim Fissette quickly after. Swiatek obtained a one-month suspension in November after testing positive for a banned substance.
In that point — a close to eternity for a participant of her caliber — she hadn’t gained one other title. All eyes have 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 surprising No. 8.
It appeared unlikely that Wimbledon and the grass can be significantly 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 gained the French Open, solely about three weeks earlier than the beginning of Wimbledon. That left a really brief window to organize for grass.
“I feel the hardest transition is [on] the grass,” Chris Evert, the 18-time main champion and ESPN analyst, mentioned forward of Wimbledon. “The clay you have bought 5 weeks [of] tournaments [on] the crimson clay. You possibly can actually get used to taking part in on clay by the point the French Open comes round, however Wimbledon is absolutely 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 fast turnaround, clay and grass surfaces are radically totally different. Even among the most seasoned veterans battle within the transition between the 2.
“These two surfaces, crimson clay and grass, are polar opposites, and you might want to make a number of changes,” Evert added. “The court docket is totally different. Your positioning is totally different. You have to shorten your strokes. You have to at all times be shifting into the online for those who can. There are simply so many issues totally different on the clay that it’s important to consider and make changes.”
Previous to this 12 months, Swiatek’s greatest outcome at Wimbledon had been a quarterfinal look in 2023. In her restricted grass event appearances throughout that point — she performed in simply three most important attracts outdoors of Wimbledon since turning skilled — she reached only one semifinal, additionally in 2023 at Unhealthy Homburg.
However one 12 months, one event, even one match, can change every part. Swiatek had mentioned she was now not centered on factors or her rating following her French Open exit, and mentioned she can be turning her consideration to the grass virtually instantly.
“Hopefully we’ll have some first rate form of little preseason on grass, as a result of it is at all times been fairly laborious to have that, particularly after I wish to be somewhat bit dwelling,” Swiatek mentioned final month. “However I do not really feel like I must be dwelling proper now, so possibly I will go someplace in Europe and follow.”
Swiatek returned to competitors rather less than three weeks later at Unhealthy Homburg. She superior to her first-ever grass closing 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 in the end 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, “a number 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 each one appeared to go well with 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 gained 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 undoubtedly felt like she was utterly on hearth,” Bencic later mentioned. “I’ll, after all, watch the match once more and see additionally with my group what I might have completed in a different way, however possibly I might have needed to play my completely greatest tennis of my life and danger each shot to beat her immediately the way in which 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 way in which, Swiatek appeared 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 digital camera as if to maintain it a secret when she put one in her bag after her quarterfinal win.
On Saturday in the course of the closing, she had her most dominant efficiency but. Swiatek broke Anisimova within the opening sport, and there was little doubt the remainder of the way in which. She gained the primary set in 25 minutes and held Anisimova to simply 9 factors. It was simply the third girls’s main closing, 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 elucidate what she had simply achieved, Swiatek mentioned she did not suppose 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 feel I used to be serving nice and I simply leaned on that. Had a number 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 satisfied and I will benefit from the subsequent days for certain.”
Her 35 whole video games misplaced all through the event have been the fewest by any girls’s champion at Wimbledon since Martina Navratilova in 1990.
AFTER AN EMOTIONAL hug with Anisimova on the web on the match’s conclusion, Swiatek ran over to her field to have fun along with her group. 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 arms 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 essentially the most amongst energetic gamers on the WTA Tour. She is going to now be again as much as No. 3 within the outer universe rankings.
Whereas she had by no means been a lot of an element at Wimbledon earlier than, Swiatek discovered a method 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 form 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 Courtroom and appreciating already what I did at this event, however then again, going for extra and being courageous.”
She might have been beneath the radar on the event, and even barely uncertain 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 capability 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 sport’s greatest. Swiatek is now as soon as once more on prime of the tennis world.
Simply over 5 weeks in the past, Swiatek left Roland Garros disenchanted and dejected. She hadn’t gained the title. Questions on her future and her latest lack of ability to win titles swirled.
However on Saturday, as she stood on Centre Courtroom with the admiring eyes of greater than 14,000 followers and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, on her, she puzzled if it was top-of-the-line issues that might 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 laborious 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 way in which I felt on the court docket over the previous few weeks. There have been lots of people, particularly again dwelling, [who] form of doubted me and never making it simple for me to do my job, and I imply, the expectations and every part.
“So I hope I show to all people that they need to simply form of go away me alone, let me do my work, let me give attention to myself, and I will have nice performances as I did immediately.”