No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCosta RicaSwiatek Says 'sky's the limit' After US Open Ttriumph

Swiatek Says ‘sky’s the limit’ After US Open Ttriumph

Iga Swiatek believes “the sky is the limit” after she crowned her rise to the pinnacle of women’s tennis with a third Grand Slam title at the US Open on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Polish world number one claimed her second Grand Slam title of 2022 at Flushing Meadows, defeating Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6 (7/5).

It was the latest staging post on a dazzling season which has provided ample evidence Swiatek is the front-runner to dominate the sport as it heads into the post-Serena Williams era.

A second Grand Slam title on Saturday and a victory at the French Open in June are part of seven tournaments she has won this year, which included a 37-match winning streak as she swept to the top of the rankings.

Swiatek, whose favorite surface is clay, says the fact that she was able to triumph in New York could prove to be a psychological watershed for her game.

“At the beginning of the season I realized that maybe I can have some good results on WTA events,” she said. “I also made it to semi-final of the Australian Open.

“But I wasn’t sure if I was on the level yet to win actually a Grand Slam, especially at the US Open where the surface is so fast. “It’s something that I wasn’t expecting for sure. It’s also like a confirmation for me that sky is the limit. 

“I’m proud, also surprised little bit, just happy that I was able to do that.”

Mental Toughness

On Saturday, Swiatek shrugged off the uniquely raucous New York crowd — chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell made repeated calls for quiet amongst spectators which were routinely ignored — to close out her 10th straight victory in a final since 2019.

Swiatek believes her ability to block out distractions, and mould her gameplan to suit matches as they are evolving is a sign that she has become a mentally tougher player.

“I’m mostly proud of the fact that mentally I’m not kind of breaking up in those important moments,” Swiatek said.  “I have, like, after the matches, even if I lose, I kind of have no regrets because I know I’m doing 100%.

“I’m proud that I have much more solutions and options on court than I had before tennis-wise, but yeah, also mentally. 

“I’m really proud of that because I just know how it feels to not have ideas on court, not have anything you can change to make the match better. Right now it’s been a long time since I didn’t have any idea.”

Swiatek plans to celebrate her victory by taking in a Broadway musical on Sunday.

“I’m not going to say the name of the musical because I want to have a little peace tomorrow,” she said as she reflected on a US Open campaign that included a chance encounter with pop star Seal.

“After I met Seal, I was like, ‘Even if lose right now I already won this tournament, because I got photo with him.’ “It’s something that it’s only going to happen probably in New York. Yeah, because it’s New York.”

Trending Now

The Most Clueless Gringo in Costa Rica: A Satirical Take on Expat Life

If part of your online day includes mindless scrolling through reels, you’ve probably seen the Dos Equis beer parody commercials. The original ads featured the...

El Salvador Schools Enforce Military-Style Uniform Inspections

El Salvador's public schools will start enforcing daily inspections for students' uniforms and haircuts from August 20, as ordered by the new education minister,...

Costa Rica’s Tourism Sector Alarmed Over Rising Violence and U.S. Criticism

Tourism leaders in Costa Rica are warning that rising crime and international criticism could damage the country’s reputation as one of Latin America’s safest...

President Chaves Downplays Costa Rica’s Security Crisis Amid Record Homicides

President Rodrigo Chaves brushed off concerns about Costa Rica's surging violence during his Wednesday press conference, insisting the security situation "is not as serious"...

Route 32 Reopens Following Preventive Closure Over Landslide Risk

Route 32, which connects San José with Limón, was reopened this morning after being closed for nearly 12 hours as a preventive measure due...

Earthquake Shakes Costa Rica’s Central Valley

An earthquake shook Costa Rica early Friday morning. The tremor occurred at 12:45 a.m. with a magnitude of 4.4. Its epicenter was located 1...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica