Iga Swiatek: "The way Carlos Alcaraz came back in the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic shows a lot of maturity"

Iga Swiatek has expressed her admiration for the manner in which Carlos Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic to clinch the 2023 Wimbledon Championships title.

Alcaraz and Djokovic went head-to-head in the Championship match at SW19 on July 16. The Serbian made a strong start and won the first set with little effort, at which point it looked like he'd wrap up his fifth consecutive grass Slam title in no time.

However, Alcaraz dug deep, took the second set via a tiebreak, and eventually won the contest 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in four hours and 42 minutes. Looking back at that match, Swiatek praised Alcaraz for not losing heart after surrendering the first set meekly.

"I was impressed with how Alcaraz pulled himself together after the first set, where he seemed very stressed and it was evident that he couldn't play his tennis, that Novak was dominating the court. The way he came back in the final shows a lot of maturity. Despite his young age, he already has a lot of experience and knows how to get out of trouble," she said in an interview with Onet Przeglad Sportowy.

When asked if Alcaraz has heralded the start of a new era with his win, Swiatek stated that Djokovic's presence makes it difficult to confidently say so.

"I don't know if I can answer that question, but without a doubt it was a breakthrough game. Novak has won most of the Grand Slam finals he has played in," she added.

---

Iga Swiatek: "The truth is that Carlos Alcaraz's style is a bit different from mine"

Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz are the top-ranked players in WTA and ATP, respectively. Ahead of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, there was a lot of talk about how the two players would perform on grasscourts, a surface that was considered to be a 'weakness' for both.

While Alcaraz managed to tame grass and take home his second career Grand Slam title, Swiatek exited the tournament in the quarterfinals following a 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2 defeat to Elina Svitolina.

Comparing her and Alcaraz's style, Swiatek stated that the Spaniard goes to the net a lot more than she does. However, she asserted that she is learning to perform at her best on grasscourts with each passing year.

"Sure, it's always been known. The best played great on all surfaces. The truth is that Alcaraz's style is a bit different from mine, because he goes to the net a lot, he plays more in combination: shortcut, slide," she said.

"I started learning it a bit later, so I think my process is moving forward. Every year I feel better and better on the grass. I'd say he has the game for both surfaces. Also under hard. He's a phenomenon in a way, as Novak said at the press conference," she added.

Swiatek is currently competing at the Warsaw Open, where she began her campaign with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Uzbekistan's Nigina Abduraimova.