A star is born
When you make history, you feel the love. Nineteen-year-old Iga Swiatek became the first player from Poland to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era at the French Open on Saturday, capping off a history-making fortnight without the loss of a set by beating American Sofia Kenin—and after the match, the tennis world came together to congratulate the teenager on her triumph.
Swiatek's father, Tomasz, was an Olympic rower who competed in the quadruple sculls event at the 1988 Games in Seoul. Her initial foray in sport came in swimming, but Swiatek told earlier this year: "I was scared of water so tennis was much better for me."
Now she announced herself as tennis' newest teenager superstar.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, were among those offering congratulations to the youngest woman to win the French Open since Monica Seles in 1992.
Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski, former French Open champions Mats Wilander and Chris Evert also congratulated new tennis star but the most vocal online support came from three-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, both during and after Swiatek's historic championship.
Though the reigning US Open winner Osaka missed this year's French Open herself due to injury, she was fully invested over the fortnight in the results of her friend, with whom she's struck up an earnest friendship over the past year.
Poland's first Grand Slam finalist in women's singles, former World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska, was among the first to offer her compatriot congratulations.
Swiatek also received a special shoutout from the men's World No.1 Novak Djokovic.
Classic heavy metal and rock is her preferred genre and she walks out for matches listening to the likes of AC/DC and Guns N' Roses and she is a keen student and she combined her tennis career with finishing high school, where her favourite subject was maths. She described this season as her gap year before she decided whether or not to go to university. The decision has surely now been made.
This is Swiatek's second time lifting a grand slam trophy. Her first came at Wimbledon in 2018 when she proved herself to be head and shoulders above her peers by sweeping to the junior title, convincing herself in the process that she could play on grass.
Very few juniors are able to translate their success at the senior level so quickly, even fewer players can reach and play their first Major final with such ease.
But that's where Swiatek stands apart.
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