The American Coco Gauff, only 18, could not exist this Saturday in the final against the 21-year-old world number 1, who never trembled. The Polish is at 35 victories in a row…
They were few at the start of the tournament to claim to be able to hinder her on a field. Finally, only one player will have managed to take a set from her at this Roland-Garros (the Chinese Zheng in the round of 16).
Until the end, Iga Swiatek, 21, assumed her status as the big favorite at Porte d’Auteuil. It’s simple, the Polish was on a mission. Like his attitude in this final easily won on Saturday (6-1, 6-3 in 1:08) against Coco Gauff, 18 years old only, where only determination seemed to sweat from his body. Impressive in her management of the match, the Pole achieved a performance worthy of a world number 1, leaving only crumbs to an opponent somewhat overwhelmed by the event.
In October 2020, from the height of her 19 years and her 54th place in the world, she arrived with the status of outsider during her first coronation at Roland-Garros. Two years later, without losing any of its freshness, the Polish took on a whole new dimension by winning a second Grand Slam title on Parisian soil. “Winning here two years ago was already incredible. But since I worked hard to come back here, it was difficult, the pressure was great. says the player in a voice full of emotion when she receives the Suzanne-Lenglen cup. “When I saw him win here during the Covid [en 2020] I wondered how she would hold up. Obviously well, says former player Billie Jean King with a smile on her face. It is 35 wins in a row, it’s crazy.
The new boss of the circuit is Swiatek
Since 2017, fourteen different winners have claimed the twenty Grand Slam titles at stake, prompting widespread criticism of the lack of consistency and appeal of women’s tennis. With his series of 35 victories in a row (Venus Williams’ 21st century record equaled) and 6 ranked titles won, you don’t need to be an expert to understand that Iga Swiatek has dominated the circuit from head to toe since retirement. of former world number 1 Ashleigh Barty. Has the circuit finally found its new boss?
“We believed thatOsaka was going to dominate women’s tennis but she couldn’t manage the mental aspect. I don’t think Iga will go through the same thing. Mentally she manages her status, she is well surrounded. We are careful now when we announce that a player will dominate the circuit, but Iga seems to be a humble, simple, down to earth person… I think we can count on her. analyzes Mary Pierce, winner of Roland-Garros in 2000 and consultant for France Télé.
With her trainer, Thomas Viktorovsky, who in December took the place of Piotr Sierzputowski, the coach who brought her to the top level, and her psychologist Daria Abramowicz, Iga Swiatek is indeed working a lot on her “mental approach” competitions in order to manage the pressure to remain at the highest level for many years. At just 21 years old (she celebrated them on May 31), the Polish, big fan of Rafael Nadal, intends, like her idol, to leave her mark on the biggest courts in the whole world. She did it this Saturday brilliantly. Iga Swiatek can kneel on the ocher ground of the Philippe-Chatrier court, shouting his rage to win against his clan. Today, the boss is her.