The cramps were so unbearable, I could barely sleep.” Iga Świątek pulls back the curtain on what it takes to be successful

I have heard rumors that people brought tiramisu to your hotel. 

– I suspect a lot of things happened there that I don’t even know about. I just hadn’t had the time. Firstly, all that was on my mind was the match, and right after the tournament, I had to fulfill my other obligations. Then, I had to quickly ‘teleport’ to Warsaw to catch a plane to San Diego. However, I’m certain Batman was there, alongside the tiramisu. The way people were reacting while I was defending match-balls in the finals, was most valuable for me. I finally failed on number 6. Nevertheless, my fans supported and cheered me up, to the point where I got emotional, which never happened before on the court, and I doubt it will ever happen again. I felt immensely proud of myself. Proud of how well my season is going, and that I’ve gained lots of great fans. I felt incredibly grateful for the energy they gave me. It was truly an amazing experience. Ostrava was much like an international match. The Finals were held in the Czech Republic, close to the Polish border, with Barbora Krejcikova – a Czech opponent. It all worked out perfectly.

Very emotional final in Ostrava followed by an immediate, 9-hour time-zone change in San Diego, with no time to rest. Result – finals and a secured title – in both tournaments you played with a cold – I might add. To sum up, a fitting depiction of how things are going would be this: fatigue is mounting up, as are the trophies, while the atmosphere keeps getting better and better.

– I talked about the positive atmosphere around me, but I would also like to do our team justice, and mention how supportive they were. After Roland Garros, I felt I had to keep up in the second half of the season. I felt I had to play at least at the same level. The expectations also escalated from the outside – in the eyes of public opinion. That’s when the grass courts came into play. That made me a bit uneasy and I had to readjust, both in terms of playing matches and being on tour, in general. With the help of my team, I won the US Open because, I lowered my expectations, and that released some pressure. We’ve done great work during the US swing. In New York I played with much more ease, not caring what others think, not caring how I felt on a given day. During the US open I realized I could still win matches even if I’m not 100% in control of my game. I still could score. I learned a lot from this tournament, and hope to use that knowledge in the future.