A double fault from Karolina Muchova released a deep wave of emotion. On either side of the net. Victorious 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, Iga Swiatek won a 3rd title at Roland-Garros, a 4th Grand Slam coronation (after Roland-Garros 2020 and 2022 and the US open 2022). Then the world No. 1, shared a long time with those close to her, made goat jumps on the court, knocked off the lid of the cup, before presenting herself with the sparkling gaze of a fulfilled champion at a press conference. Extracts.
“A roller coaster story. I have various emotions running through me. This match was very intense, a lot of downs, a lot of ups. I’m happy because I stayed solid in the last games, I finished the match. Karolina played very well too. It was a big challenge for me. I am happy, proud of myself, I succeeded.
“After so many ups and downs, I stopped thinking about the score and wanted to use my intuition more, because I knew I could play a little better if I was more comfortable, less tense, and it helped me in the third set. Frankly, this match was so long, with so many ups and downs that I don’t really know. I will analyze it later, I will watch it and I will understand a little better what happened.
“I saw all of Karolina’s games when she came back after scores like that. Before match point, I was like, ‘No, that’s not going to happen now. I played, I played and I gave everything I could. I’m surprised that happened, because she got so many comebacks. All of a sudden, I felt very tired, tired of three weeks. Maybe my matches from a physical point of view weren’t exhausting, but it’s hard to stay focused for almost three weeks, then there’s also the whole season because since Stuttgart I haven’t been to the House. I finished the whole season on clay; I survived in a way and maybe it gave me strength again because of that.”
“Last year, for example, was confirmation for me that the first time was not luck, chance. This one, on the other hand, was tougher, the injuries, the pressure and then also making a comeback as a champion defending her title. I needed to deal with all of this. I am extremely happy, because I managed to manage all that, because these three weeks were not easy and the efforts of my team helped me.
“The only thing I can say is to repeat myself, to repeat my point of view regarding the community of tennis players: the world of tennis must be united. We must do everything we can about Russian aggression to stop it. I support all Ukrainians. I know the situation is not easy. For example, if I were in their shoes, I don’t know if I could even play tennis. I fully respect them. I want to focus on what I need to do for them, what’s good for them, and that’s about all I can say about that.”