In the coming months, whenever her schedule permits, Iga Swiatek plans to visit London and the All England Club, the site of what she calls her biggest and most surprising victory. Last July, the 24-year-old won her first Wimbledon title and sixth Grand Slam overall, defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in a one-sided final.
This win was the clear highlight of a mixed year for the Polish player, who faced challenges on her favored clay courts but will finish 2025 ranked world No. 2—her fourth consecutive year in the top two.
A unique tradition at Wimbledon is that singles champions receive honorary membership to the All England Club, allowing them to visit anytime. Like many past winners, Swiatek looks forward to experiencing the historic venue without the crowds and fellow players around.
“I wonder how it feels,” she says. “I’ll definitely be back. I’d love to, but I’m not sure how it works. I heard Roger Federer was once turned away because he didn’t have the right badge, so I’ll need to be prepared.” Federer was indeed denied entry in late 2022 when he forgot his membership card.
Known for her strength on clay, with four French Open titles in the last six years, Swiatek had been cautious about Wimbledon, unsure if her game would adapt to the grass. After a difficult clay season, she gained confidence by playing a warm-up event in Germany and went on to achieve a stunning victory at Wimbledon.
“Any season with a Wimbledon win is one I’d take without hesitation,” she says. “I’m incredibly proud of this achievement. I didn’t expect it to happen this year—I thought I’d need a few more years to learn how to play on grass and apply my skills there. But I felt great.
“We worked hard before Wimbledon to adjust some tactical patterns that I hadn’t fully used in previous years. Day by day, I felt my game coming together, and I seized the opportunity. That win changed everything.”
Until then, her season had been disappointing by the high standards she’s set in recent years. After coming within a point of the Australian Open final in January, she didn’t reach another final until June. There were unexpected losses on clay, though a semifinal run at the French Open helped rebuild her confidence.
At Wimbledon, from 2-2 in the first set of her semifinal against Belinda Bencic, Swiatek won 22 consecutive games, culminating in a dominant victory over Anisimova—the first double bagel in a women’s final since 1911. It was a crowning moment, though some post-match questions puzzled her.
“I wasn’t thinking about how it looked; I was just playing and didn’t want to give away any points,” she explains. “It was a Wimbledon final, and I really wanted to win.
“Afterward, a lot of crazy things happened. I remember interviews focusing on the score, with journalists asking if I should have let Amanda win a game. It was unusual.
“I can only say this tournament shows how mental tennis is. The mental side has a huge impact on every player’s results. I’m really glad I handled the pressure well, because after the final, everyone talked about Amanda being stressed, but I was stressed too—playing a Wimbledon final on Centre Court is a surreal experience.”Note: Newsletters may include details about charities, online advertisements, and content supported by external organizations. If you don’t have an account, we’ll set up a guest account for you on theguardian.com to deliver this newsletter. You can finish the full registration process whenever you like. For additional details on how we handle your data, please refer to our Privacy Policy. We utilize Google reCaptcha to safeguard our website, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service are applicable.
After the newsletter promotion, Swiatek spoke following her visit to the Zurich headquarters of On, her clothing sponsor. This marked the final commitment of another demanding season, during which she competed in 80 matches—the most on the WTA Tour. After a short break in Mauritius, her pre-season training will start in early December. Although top players are required to participate in a minimum number of events, Swiatek intends to reduce her schedule in 2026.
“I’d like to try skipping maybe two tournaments—perhaps those where I haven’t performed well—and use that time to focus on training and improving my technique,” she explained. “I believe it will also help me perform better under pressure because my body will retain the correct movements and what it learned during practice.”
Iga Swiatek’s season concluded with a group-stage elimination at the WTA Tour finals in Saudi Arabia.
“Mentally, it can boost my confidence, knowing I’ve put in the hard work. Then I can arrive at tournaments better prepared, since playing all the mandatory events now means most players aren’t always 100% ready for each one.”
Swiatek aims to win the Australian Open to achieve a career Grand Slam, a feat only 10 women have accomplished. It won’t be easy, not only with Aryna Sabalenka ranked ahead of her at No. 1, but also because she feels the top 10 has become more competitive over the past year. Unsurprisingly, she and her coach, Wim Fissette, have a strategy to maintain her elite status.
“There’s a lot I learned this year that I started implementing, but I couldn’t quite integrate it smoothly with how I’ve played in previous seasons,” she said.
“My overall goal will be to combine that with good balance, still maintaining my strong performance on slower surfaces… to feel more comfortable with the variety I have and know exactly when to use each skill.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about Iga witek inspired by her quote designed to be clear and helpful for fans of all levels
Frequently Asked Questions about Iga witek
Beginner General Questions
1 Who is Iga witek
Iga witek is a professional tennis player from Poland She is a former World No 1 and has won multiple Grand Slam titles including the French Open and the US Open
2 What did she mean by I was determined not to give away any easy points
She meant that she focused on playing consistently and making her opponent earn every single point She avoided simple mistakes like unforced errors that would hand points to her opponent for free
3 Has Iga witek ever won Wimbledon
As of now Iga witek has not won the Wimbledon singles title Her quote reflects her mindset and goal to win it in the future
4 Why is not giving away easy points so important in a final
In a highpressure final every point is crucial Giving away easy points can give your opponent confidence shift the momentum of the match and be the difference between winning and losing a tight set
5 What are easy points in tennis
Easy points often called unforced errors are mistakes a player makes without being pressured by their opponent Examples include hitting a ball into the net or out of bounds on a routine shot
Advanced Strategic Questions
6 How does a player like witek avoid giving away easy points
She does this by maintaining high concentration using highpercentage shots to keep the ball in play managing her aggression and having a solid game plan she trusts under pressure
7 What is her playing style and how does it help her minimize errors
witek is known for her aggressive baseline game powerful groundstrokes and heavy topspin forehand The topspin helps her shots clear the net safely and still land deep in the court reducing the risk of errors
8 Can you give an example of how this mindset won her a big match
A great example is her 2022 US Open final against Ons Jabeur witek was incredibly consistent making very few unforced errors while press
