On the eve of a Grand Slam final, tennis players usually tend to have sleepless nights with the prospect of what lies ahead of them. The pressure is even more for a 19-year-old playing her maiden Grand Slam final. However, Iga Swiatek experienced a sleepless night after winning the French Open 2020 title.

Not just the fact that she created history by becoming the first Polish Grand Slam winner, but the applause and messages she received overwhelmed her and kept her up all night. One of those messages, from men’s tennis great Novak Djokovic, left Swiatek over the moon.

“Novak Djokovic, he tweeted congratulations, which was amazing for me,” Swiatek said when asked of the ‘coolest messages’ she had received.

While a congratulatory message from Djokovic meant a lot to Swiatek, she did admit that she would root for Rafael Nadal, who is one of her idols, in the men’s final.

In his final, Djokovic lost to Nadal in straight sets as the Spaniard left him further behind in the Grand Slam race.

Another important message Iga Swiatek received

Along with Djokovic’s nice gesture, Swiatek was also pumped about getting a message from her friend Naomi Osaka. “I’m really happy that Naomi wrote me,” Swiatek said.

Osaka even tweeted that during the match that she had sweaty palms and was tensed watching Swiatek’s final. Swiatek highlighted how Osaka inspires her.

“She inspired me even before we met. Because she was one of the girls that won a grand slam when she was an underdog.”

Swiatek said she is glad she has a friendly relationship with Osaka. She also receives advice and encouragement from the Japanese star.

Praise from outside the tennis world

Outside the tennis world, Swiatek found another admirer in Polish soccer star Robert Lewandowski. She felt great reading his congratulatory message. “

Even though he’s from Poland I’ve never had a chance to talk to him,” she said of the Bayern Munich player.

More than Swiatek’s final win, her title run showed the talent she possesses. The youngster won at Roland Garros without dropping a single set. Moreover, she dropped a mere 23 games across seven matches she played over the fortnight.