The love and admiration for Serena Williams are overwhelming for all young tennis players. Younger tennis players look up to her achievements. She has established herself as the most tenacious and resilient player to be on the court. However, this can sometimes also intimidate other athletes. That’s exactly what the World No. 1 player is facing.

And now that she has announced her retirement plans, young players are eager to meet her on the court. One such fan is none other than Iga Swiatek. However, she is battling with her shy nature to meet her idol.

Iga Swiatek shies away from meeting Serena Williams

World no. 1 is keen to meet the 23-time grand slam champion during the ongoing tour. She said, “I have a hard time catching eye contact with Serena.” Swiatek also expressed her excitement to meet her idol.

The Polish tennis player said, “And I just wanted to say ‘Hi’ a few times.”

“But it’s tough because she always has so many people around her and I’m pretty shy. When I look at her, I suddenly kind of forget that I’m here as the World No. 1. I see Serena and it’s, ‘Wow, Serena!'”

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The Polish player is trying to gather the courage to meet her idol. She said, “And I feel like I’m a kid from kindergarten just looking at her. So it’s tough. I haven’t talked to her, but I’m just trying to say hi.” Serena Williams was defeated in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters by Emma Raducanu. She will now try her level best to perform well at the US Open and retire in style with her performance.

On the other hand, Iga Swiatek has two French Open titles under her name. She also maintained her 37-match winning streak, breaking records of both Serena Williams and Venus Williams. The player will try to clinch her third grand slam title at the hard-court major.

Will Swiatek play against Williams at the US Open?

Swiatek is excited to play at least once with the American tennis legend. Referring to the US Open, she said, “It would be the last chance to play her.”

It has not been that long since Williams disclosed her retirement. Hence, this is one opportunity for the younger athlete to play against her idol. Swiatek further revealed that she would love to face Williams.

The players can meet each other on the opposite sides of the court if the women’s draw comes up like that. Strife between the two players would be exciting and worth watching. After all, both the athletes are top-notch in their sport.

For Williams, the retirement announcement was a bittersweet one. She was reluctant to approach the topic. In fact, she found it difficult to talk about it with her family, too. But she was ready to move in a different direction. Hence, it would be a huge moment for her fans to watch her play one more time.

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Who do you think will prevail if Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek face each other? Further, what do you think about the latter’s shy nature? Comment below and let us know your thoughts.