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Hours After Record French Open Crown, 22-Year-Old Iga Swiatek Gets Slapped With a Harsh Reality Check as Tennis Legend Fires Maturity Warning to the WTA World No.1

Published 06/11/2023, 8:01 AM EDT

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via Reuters

Iga Swiatek has once again proved her talent on the court as she clinched her fourth Grand Slam title and third French Open title yesterday. The world no. 1 has lived up to the expectations of tennis fans. However, this is something that former world no. 1 and tennis expert Mats Wilander is concerned about. He gave his unfiltered thoughts while shedding some light on the present state of Polish players.

Irrespective of people’s expectations, Swiatek has been giving her best on the court. However, the constant reminder that she needs to be the best everywhere is what Wilander thinks is affecting her emotional health.

Mats Wilander gets real about the pressure on the French Open champion, Iga Swiatek

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The Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek took down Karolina Muchova who had defeated world no. 2 Aryna Sabalenka on her way to the final. Unsurprisingly, Muchova indeed proved to be a challenge for Swiatek, as she won the second set. However, Swiatek proved her mettle, as she battled hard and went on to clinch her third Roland Garros title.

Consequently, Swiatek felt all the emotions rising up because of the hard-earned victory. After watching the all-conquering Pole’s victory, the former world no. 1 Mats Wilander discussed this new side of Swiatek with Eurosport. He stated, “It’s a very emotional Iga Swiatek these days, she’s feeling the pressure of being No. 1 in the world for sure, which is good.” 

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However, he also expressed his worries about how she does not need to take it this hard. He stated, “She’s handling it, but she is sometimes too emotionally involved I think.”

via Reuters

He added, “I hope she can relax a bit and grow into being the best player in the world – but she’s winning while being No. 1, so it’s amazing. The confidence she must get must be incredible.”

Considering everything, Swiatek has gotten that boost of confidence after clinching the fourth Grand Slam title, and tennis enthusiasts are again dreaming big things for her, ahead of the grass court season.

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Fans aim for Swiatek’s victory at Wimbledon

The grass-court season is just around the corner and fans are excited about seeing Swiatek finally extinguish her demons on the fast and slick surface. However, once again, after her French Open victory, the expectations are high among her fans. It turned out to be too much for the Polish star last year, but the fans are much more optimistic about this campaign.

As Wilander noted, these expectations are pressurizing her. Though there is nothing wrong with expecting the best for the best, as per Wilander, it is affecting her emotional health.

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What do you think about it? Should fans lower their expectations a bit? Or should Swiatek not pay any heed to it and play as she has always played? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shivali Sharma

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Shivali Sharma is a tennis writer at EssentiallySports, who specializes in off-court topics and has a particular focus on the legendary ‘Queen of the Court’, Serena Williams. With a wealth of experience in the industry, Shivali has authored numerous articles covering varied topics concerning the 23-time Grand Slam champion, including her personal life, career, and more. In addition to her work on Serena Williams, Shivali is also a huge fan of Naomi Osaka and admires the four-time Major winner, particularly for her advocacy for mental health.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas