“I remember I couldn’t sleep,” Iga Swiatek revisits her 2021 Roland Garros season as she quickly adapts to the life of a reigning champion

Iga Swiatek recalls her 2021 French Open loss as she admitted to having grown from past mistakes.

“I remember I couldn’t sleep,” Iga Swiatek revisits her 2021 Roland Garros season as she quickly adapts to the life of a reigning champion

Iga Swiatek (Via Imago)

Even a champion player learns from his or her horrifying experiences. It was the 2021 Roland Garros for the WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek. The Polish ace revealed that she had learned a crucial lesson at the French Open on handling losses and facing the pressure of being a defending champion. 

Iga Swiatek was the youngest Polish player to win the French Open in 2020 and was expected to do the same in 2021. Though the WTA beauty did manage to enter the second week of the tournament, she fell short in the quarterfinal leg, much to the fans’ dismay. 

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The 22-year-old (then 20) was up against a formidable opponent, Maria Sakkari, who was having a rather exceptional tournament. Swiatek was lagging from the get-go and even took a medical timeout to regroup herself, after which Sakkari concluded the match, beating the Pole 6-4, 6-4. It was a rather tough loss for Swiatek, who admitted it was not easy. 

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However, in a recent interview, she revealed how she has learned from this experience and can now easily overcome such situations. 

Yeah, I think Roland Garros 2021 was a great example 'cause -- for sure being the defending champion, especially after a Grand Slam where you weren't really expected to do anything, it wasn't really easy. I remember I couldn't sleep and everything.
Expressed Swiatek as she recalled the hard times. 

Furthermore, the Pole also spoke about her post-match symptoms, including lack of sleep and emotional distress. Since then, Swiatek’s gameplay has stood out for itself, showing her improvement and growth. 

Iga Swiatek reckons to have learned from those mistakes as she gears up for her Miami Open second-round match

Reminiscing about the 2021 French Open loss, Iga Swiatek revealed that she now knows how to deal with the pressure of a tough loss and prepare in time for future tournaments. With that being said, there is no denying that it was a tough loss to take for the Pole, but the experience had some fruitful learning in the end. 

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Via Imago)

Swiatek now has solutions to deal with the tough losses with the utmost maturity, as she has grown to win more matches and tournaments.

Now I have some solutions to overcome these kind of issues. Back then, like, the whole tournament was really tough emotionally. I wouldn't have made the same mistakes on next ones. So yeah, this is a good example. 
Stated the WTA No.1.

Since then, Swiatek has won three more Grand Slam titles, showing signs of her growth. In the 2024 season alone, she has two titles to her name and is en route for another one. The Pole is set to clash against Linda Noskova in the second-round match of the Miami Open. 

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