Iga Swiatek Refuses to Take Away Serena Williams’ Crown Despite Matching Her Unique Feat at French Open

Do you remember the 2014 US Open? It took Serena Williams just 75 minutes to win (6-3, 6-3) against Caroline Wozniacki at Flushing Meadows. The tennis star dropped to her back behind the baseline and wept. It was an emotional moment for her. But with the win, the American earned three consecutive singles titles at a single Grand Slam. Fast forward to 2024, and Iga Swiatek has achieved the same feat as Williams did in 2014.

Yesterday, Swiatek continued her dominating run to defeat Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the summit clash (6-2 6-1) and win her fifth Grand Slam title. In the process, she also won a hat-trick of French Open titles, winning here in 2022, 2023, and 2024, just like Williams’s hat-trick. Swiatek also won four of the past five French Open titles and is the youngest woman to do so.

Following Swiatek’s brilliant victory, the US Open Tennis’ official Twitter handle shared a reminder of her achievement. But what did the Polish star have to say about this comparison with Williams? She refused to give in to the comparisons. Iga Swiatek took to X and commented, “Mighty @serenawilliams,” along with a crown emoji. What a humble reaction from the 23-year-old!

But apart from Williams and Swiatek, there are two players with this achievement: Monica Seles and Justine Henin. The former won the Roland Garros in 1990, 1991, and 1992, whereas Henin won seven grand slams in her career. Four of them were at Roland Garros (2005, 2006 and 2007).

Well, Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs had already predicted Iga Swiatek’s victory after her match against Naomi Osaka. On May 29, Stubbs posted on Twitter, saying, “That was an amazing match!!!!!!!! The forehand that Naomi missed serving for the match up 30-15 to go up two match points is one she is going to see in her sleep (nightmares) tonight! After this win, i think IGA now just plows thru everyone else after that match.”

Swiatek happened to glance at her prediction. The top-ranked player in the world responded with a Kermit the Frog GIF on Saturday, following her sixth Grand Slam victory. “Had ya back!” Stubbs responded.

However, this is not the only feat that Swiatek has matched with that of Williams. Earlier this year, she achieved the most WTA ranking points since Serena Williams in 2015 after winning the Italian Open title. She rose to 11,695 points, which was the first time in her career that she crossed the 11,000 mark. However, the Polish tennis star has had to overcome the pressure and emotions of the huge expectations placed on her.

Why was Iga Swiatek nervous going into the 2024 French Open finals?

Going into the finals of the French Open, Swiatek was the favorite to win the title. As a result, there was massive pressure and expectations on her. Following her victory, the Pole revealed how she managed to overcome this burden.

She said, “When I talk about pressure, I usually put pressure on myself because of pressure of the outside. Obviously, I’m a perfectionist, so there is always pressure behind me. But I think I’m fine with handling my own pressure. It’s when the pressure from the outside hits me, then it’s a little bit worse. But I managed it really well at this tournament.”

Further, she went on to add, “It was an emotional win because I felt, you know, a lot of stress yesterday and today in the morning. And I knew if I’m going to just focus on tennis, I can kind of fight through it, and at the end it all went how I wanted. So I just felt really proud of myself.”

With Iga Swiatek coming out on top of the expectations set for her, she can soak in the sweet success of her victory. With age by her side, she has a long way to go in her career, and the signs look positive for her to overcome more records that Serena Williams set in her illustrious career. What do you think?

Swiatek will soon turn her attention to Wimbledon with the aim to add yet another grand slam win.