PARIS — A well-liked query posed to tennis gamers after they start accumulating Grand Slam titles is a few type of: What’s subsequent?
What are your goals now? What do you need to accomplish? How many of those main championships are you able to acquire?
When it involves Iga Swiatek, there’s not a lot level in asking, though there have been makes an attempt Saturday night time after she beat Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in what changed into a riveting French Open remaining.
That victory made Swiatek the proprietor of 4 Slam trophies, together with three at Roland Garros. Just making it to the final match of the event assured her of sustaining her grip on the No. 1 rating, the place she’s been since April 2022.
“I don’t think I need any idea. I’ll just go forward, you know?” Swiatek stated. “My whole career, I’ve tried to – if you’re talking about wins – just win as much as possible, obviously. … I don’t think we all know what our limits are unless we’re done or we’re really mature. But I’m 22, so I literally don’t know what my limits are. I don’t know what to tell you.”
She chuckled a bit as she stated that final half.
It is sensible for her to keep up that perspective. No cause to aim a guess at the place her path would possibly lead.
Especially as a result of giving voice to that form of hypothesis most likely would solely serve to do the very factor she says causes her issues: elevated expectations and strain.
From herself. And from others.
Expectations that she’ll preserve successful as a lot as she has these days. Pressure to stay as much as the form of outcomes she already has produced – and to exceed them.
Asked Saturday what number of extra of those massive occasions she will be able to win, Swiatek deflected.
“I’m not really looking that far. I’m just happy with what happened during these past few weeks. I don’t know what I’m kind of capable of,” she stated. “So I will work day by day to play the best game possible and to develop as a player. I’m not setting any of these crazy records or goals for myself. I know that keeping it cool is the best way to do it for me. I’m trying more to do that.”
As good as she already is, as a lot as she already has finished, Swiatek speaks usually about being burdened by what that brings.
“I feel like I should win,” is the way in which she put it.
Perhaps listening to herself say that, she added this instantly: “I should feel more fearless here.”
Absolutely true.
She has gained the final two French Opens, one thing no girl had finished since Justine Henin went again to again to again from 2005-07, and three of the previous 4.
“We can well imagine her winning the trophy many more times,” stated Amelie Mauresmo, a two-time main champion and former No. 1 herself, who now’s the event director in Paris.
“She is mentally very strong, she moves remarkably well, she slides very well on clay,” Mauresmo stated. “I think her game is very complete for this surface.”
On Saturday, Swiatek was terrific from the get-go, hoarding 12 of the primary 15 factors and going up by a set and 3-0 within the second, earlier than Muchova discovered her rhythm and made a match of it.
Then, when Muchova was in superb kind, sufficient to guide by a break at 4-3 within the third set, Swiatek started pondering much less and taking part in on intuition extra.
That was that – she gained the final three video games and the championship.
“To play against her, you have to be ready. The balls are coming fast. She’s not doing any easy mistakes, and you always know that (if) you have a chance … you have to take it, because maybe there is no other chance,” Muchova stated. “Yeah, that’s why she’s world No. 1, and you have to bring your best performance to be able to beat her.”
Muchova couldn’t fairly do this.
No opponent has up to now in a Grand Slam remaining: Swiatek is 4-0 in these most essential matches, equaling the most effective begin to a profession by a lady.
Swiatek, lower than two weeks previous her twenty second birthday, can be the youngest girl to lift her main depend to 4 since a sure somebody by the identify of Serena Williams did it shortly earlier than turning 21 in 2002.
Swiatek won’t need to say what she is able to, however the indicators positive do level to a solution: rather a lot.
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AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire contributed to this report.
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis author since 2002.
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