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Of the many obstacles Iga Swiatek had to overcome to win the US Open title, the city of New York, its boisterous atmosphere, and everything it had to offer were the toughest.
Swiatek beat Ons Jabeur 6-2, 7-6(5) at the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday to win her maiden US Open and her third Grand Slam title. The triumph at Flushing Meadows means the Pole has won her seventh title of the year.
Speaking in her post-match on-court interview, the World No. 1 was asked about her thoughts on her win. Swiatek stated that her expectations were low coming into the tournament and that dealing with the "many temptations" in New York was particularly challenging.
"I don't know [how I was able to perform] honestly, I'm just not expecting a lot. Especially before this tournament. It was such a challenging time you know, coming back after winning a Grand Slam it's always tricky even though Roland Garros was the second one. I really needed to stay composed and focus on the goals and for sure this tournament was really challenging," she said.
"Also because it’s New York, it's so loud, it's so crazy. There were so many temptations in the city, so many people I've met who are so inspiring. It's really mind blowing for me and I'm so proud that I could handle it mentally," she added.
"I'm pretty happy that I can kind of unite people with our sport" - Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek won her first US Open title, second Grand Slam title of the year, and third Major overall, on Saturday with a straight-sets defeat of Tunisian Ons Jabeur. With her victory, the Polish World No. 1 has set and broken a host of records.
At Flushing Meadows, she won her seventh of the year, making her the first player since Serena Williams in 2014 to win seven or more titles in a season. Her other titles this year have come in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, and Roland Garros.
Having become the first Polish woman to win the New York Grand Slam, the 21-year-old stated that she was proud to inspire more people to take up the sport.
"Well, I don't know [how things are in Poland]. I got to go back home and check, but I’m pretty sure that it’s a lot [of celebration], I can even hear what’s going on right now [in the stadium]," she said.
"I'm pretty happy that I can kind of unite people with our sport and yeah, I'm proud that tennis is getting more and more popular at home. We're trying to do our best to do to be good people and to be good examples," she added.
Swiatek also became the first player since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win two or more Major titles in a single season.
