Swiatek Calls First Wimbledon Title Experience ‘Pretty Surreal’

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (photo: Wimbledon video/YouTube)

WIMBLEDON/WASHINGTON, July 14, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

Moments after Iga Swiatek sat down for her champion’s news conference after winning her first Wimbledon Championships title and sixth major crown overall Saturday evening, she was asked by the moderator how it sounded to be introduced as “Wimbledon champion.”

“It sounds amazing,” the 24-year-old Polish superstar and former World No. 1 said. “Pretty surreal. Yeah, I’m just appreciating every minute. I’m just proud of myself because, yeah, who would have expected that?”

A few hours earlier, the eighth-seeded Swiatek, who had not won a title of any kind – let alone a major – in over a year, beat No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova of the United States, 6-0, 6-0, in just 57 minutes. She won in front of British royalty – the Princess of Wales – and was surrounded by tennis royalty, including Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Conchita Martinez, and with Hall of Famer Chris Evert nearby, analyzing the match on TV for ESPN back to the United States. On this day, Swiatek truly had found her grass roots.

With her one-sided, double-bagel trouncing of the American No. 5 Anisimova, it meant that Swiatek now has claimed titles at three of the four majors. Her trophy case at home in Warsaw includes four French Open crowns, a US Open one and, soon, will welcome the Venus Rosewater Dish, symbolic of winning the Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles final.

While a 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final may have been hard to fathom – just ask Anisimova – it should be noted that it marked the ninth time in Swiatek’s career that she’s clinched a title winning a 6-0 set.

When Swiatek was asked by a reporter what winning the Wimbledon title meant to her – and if it was a matter of the right timing – she said: “Well, I don’t know what’s ahead of me, obviously, so it’s hard to say. For sure, it’s a lot, especially after a season with a lot of ups and downs and a lot of expectations from the outside that I didn’t really match winning Wimbledon.

“It’s something that is just surreal. I feel like tennis keeps surprising me, and I keep surprising myself.

“I’m really happy with the whole process, how it looked like from the first day we stepped on a grass court. Yeah, I feel like we did everything for it to go in that direction without expecting it, just working really hard.”

In the weeks leading up to Wimbledon, Swiatek spent some quality time practicing on grass courts in Mallorca. It was sort of a palate cleanser after being knocked out of Roland-Garros in the semifinal round by World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Then, in her only tune-up event, she was a finalist on grass at Bad Homburg, Germany, losing the title match to World No. 3 Jessica Pegula.

After arriving in London, Swiatek went to work during the British fortnight at the All England Club. In putting together an impressive seven-match winning streak, she dropped only one set. It came during her second-round win over American Caty McNally. By the end of Saturday’s final, she had, won 12 straight sets – three of them by bagel scores and one by a breadstick. That’s three by 6-0 and one by 6-1 margins.

Swiatek was asked where she would rank her Wimbledon title in comparison to her other Grand Slam achievements.

“Oh my God, that’s always the hardest question,” she demurred, smiling as she attempted to diplomatically answer the reporter’s question.

“Well, I don’t know. I think the fact that it’s on grass, for sure it makes it more special, I would say, and more unexpected.

“So, for sure, it feels like the emotions are bigger because on Roland-Garros, I know I can play well, and I know I can, like, show it on every year. Here, I wasn’t sure of that. I also needed to prove that to myself.”

Swiatek said she would not rank her Grand Slam titles because “I have so much respect for the other tournaments. I worked really hard to win all the other Slams. So, there’s no point to choose between them.

“This one and the US Open, for sure, feel like just, I don’t know, better because no one expected that. It wasn’t a relief. It was more of just good tennis and working to make it happen, yeah, without this baggage on your shoulders.”

Because Swiatek didn’t have to worry about being ranked No. 1, she said it felt liberating and allowed her to focus on developing as a player while figuring out how to play better on grass.

“My mind was busy with that instead of points and rankings,” she said.

Swiatek’s mind was also busy figuring out what she would say when she received the Venus Rosewater Dish trophy from the Princess of Wales. Just exactly what did Her Royal Highness say to Swiatek after her victory to break the ice?

“She told me some nice stuff about [my] performance,” Swiatek recalled. “Later on, I don’t remember because I was too overwhelmed. I didn’t want to do any faux pas. I wanted to behave well.

“Overall, the process of getting the trophy from Her Royal Highness was something surreal. Since I’m a kid, honestly, I’m a big fan of the Royal Family. It was amazing. I really appreciate that. I’m really grateful, yeah, that it was Her Royal Highness giving the trophy.”

Looking back on her overall experience of winning her first Wimbledon title, which rewarded Swiatek with a lifetime membership and privileges at the All England Club and boosted her to No. 3 in the WTA Rankings, she tried to put things into perspective.

“Today, I just wanted to enjoy the time that I had on the Centre Court and enjoy the last hours of me playing well on grass because who knows if it’s going to happen again,” she said, smiling. “I just focused on that and I really had fun.”

 

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