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World No. 1 Iga Swiatek was honored with a majestic mural painting in her hometown of Raszyn, Poland.
The Pole, who soared to incredible heights at the young age of 21, is now depicted by a local artist by the name of Dominik Kowalczyk, on the wall of a Cyprian Godebski primary school building. The mural was unveiled by the locals of the Pole's hometown.
The initiative was taken by KS Raszyn and the Project Raszyn Association.
"We didn't know how to repay Iga for these successes, and as the club's board we came up with the idea to honor our star in this way," Marcin Cwyl, president of KS Raszyn, revealed as per sports.se.pl.
Dorota Betko of Project Raszyn also remarked that the location of the three-time Slam winner’s mural will greatly impact the younger generation from her hometown and inspire them to follow in the footsteps of their very own champion.
"We were very pleased with this location. It is a place where children and teenagers learn every day. There are sports facilities here that they use, so we hope that, thanks to this mural, they will follow the example of our great champion," remarked Dorota Betko from the Projekt Raszyn Association.
"For the inhabitants of Raszyn, Iga's successes are a source of pride and satisfaction. I think that everyone here lives her victories, because such talents are rare. In addition, it is a well-located facility. The mural will be perfectly visible from the large route that drivers travel from Warsaw to the south of Poland," she added.
Dorota Betko also revealed that Iga Swiatek herself chose the perfect picture for the mural.
"Iga is the hero of many media information, so there are a lot of her photos. We were wondering if the one we choose as a pattern would be the best. Fortunately, Iga herself helped us with this. We received a photo from her team that perfectly reflects the character of this girl," she said.
A look at Iga Swiatek’s 2022 season
Iga Swiatek’s started her historic season as the World No. 9. She, however, made a rapid climb in the rankings after featuring in the semifinals of the Australian Open. The Pole was unstoppable thereafter as she clinched the WTA 1000 title at the Qatar Open. She banked on her momentum to collect a hat-trick of WTA 1000s, winning the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami.
Due to former World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty’s retirement, Iga Swiatek was automatically granted the top spot. This, however, did not hamper her momentum. The 21-year-old bettered her winning streak further with victories at the Stuttgart Open, the Italian Open, and the French Open.
Iga Swiatek surpassed Venus Williams' 35-match win streak to become the women’s tennis player with the highest match-winning streak of the century. At Wimbledon, her 37-match winning streak was snapped in the third round by Alize Cornet.
Although the World No. 1 faced a slight slump in form following her SW19 exit, she made an admirable recovery, clinching the US Open, followed by victory at the San Diego Open. Iga Swiatek capped off her 2022 season as the year-end World No. 1 by winning eight titles and registering 67 wins against a mere nine losses.
