Winning this year’s Roland Garros was sweet for Iga Swiatek because she was nearly eliminated in the second round by an incredible Naomi Osaka.
While most of her matches, including the final, were spectacular dominant performances by the Polish player, one match was tough for her. It was the one against Osaka, which the Polish player barely won.
Osaka had a match point but didn’t use it, which allowed Swiatek to win the match and ultimately win the event. That makes it all the sweeter for the reigning world number one, who made history by winning Roland Garros for a third time in a row.
Speaking during the trophy ceremony, Swiatek reminded everyone that she was nearly beaten in the second round, so being able to stand there with the trophy was just an amazing feeling, as it almost didn’t happen.
“As Jasmine said, it’s amazing to be here. I love this place honestly. I wait every year to come back here. And yeah, thank you, Oh my God. I was almost out of the tournament in the second round.”
“So, thank you guys for staying behind my back and cheering for me. I also needed to believe that this one is going to be possible. So, it’s been a really emotional tournament.”
Due to that early exit, Swiatek would also have time for a vacation, but she likely prefers it this way. Now, she’ll have time to rest up and prepare for a part of the season she doesn’t necessarily enjoy, and that’s grass season.
Becoming good on grass is a challenge she’s yet to master, but she looked fairly decent last year at Wimbledon, so maybe this year we will see something great for the Polish number one. Her next tournament should be the 2024 Berlin Open, which is a WTA 500 tournament.
