Iga Swiatek was seemingly left baffled by a reporter and some of the questions she received following her Rome Open win.
On Saturday, No. 1 seed Swiatek routinely claimed the title at a WTA 1000 tournament in Rome after sealing a 6-2 6-3 win over world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.
For 22-year-old Swiatek, it was her 21st WTA title and she also improved her impressive record in finals to a 21-4 record. Also, it was the ninth clay title for the Polish world No. 1, who is widely considered the best clay-court player in women’s tennis.
Iga Swiatek © Getty Images Sport – Mike Hewitt
Although Swiatek’s clay dominance is well-documented, the 22-year-old has actually won more titles on hard courts – 12. While one could argue that there are many more hard tournaments than clay events in the calendar, the fact that Swiatek has won 12 titles on hard proves that she is also a dominant force there.
When it comes to grass courts, Swiatek hasn’t yet won any titles there but last year she made an improvement on the fastest tennis surface and was a semifinalist in Bad Homburg before a suspected food poisoning forced her to withdraw from her semifinal match.
The questions that left Swiatek baffled
After winning her 21st title in Rome and her ninth clay-court title, Swiatek received a question that seemingly left her stunned and in disbelief.
“You won three Roland Garros and you won three finals here, losing only nine games in three finals. Being so dominant on clay, how do you explain that you’re not as much dominant also on other surfaces? Everybody is saying that nowadays the surfaces are much more similar than they were 20 years ago,” the question read.
Swiatek bluntly responded with a question on her own for the reporter: “You think the surfaces are the same?”
But the reporter remained unfazed and even explained why they thought they had a valid point, telling Swiatek: “On the other surfaces you win, but not as much as on clay.”
Swiatek then responded with another question: “Have you played on each of these surfaces?”
The reporter then responded in a way that would make it look like they didn’t understand what Swiatek was asking, responding with a “What.”
Swiatek clarified herself a little, asking the reporter: “Have you played on each of these surfaces you’re talking about?”
The reporter then had something very direct for Swiatek, telling her: “I think you should win everywhere the way you play.”
The world No. 1 responded to that argument with a “Thanks.”
But the reporter in question didn’t stop there as he asked again the same: “What is your explanation for not winning as much as you win on clay on the other surfaces?”
Swiatek provided an answer but it was something that the reporter could have realized from the Pole’s previous answers.
“Because they’re different. Because the surfaces are different,” Swiatek said.
Iga Swiatek © Getty Images Sport – Alex Grimm
Swiatek on how she feels about her French Open chances
Heading into the 2024 French Open editions, nothing changes compared to the previous few editions as three-time champion French Open Swiatek again enters as the No. 1 favorite for the title at Roland Garros.
When the clay season started, Swiatek failed to complete a three-peat in Stuttgart after Elena Rybakina became the first player to beat the Pole on the clay courts of Stuttgart. But since Stuttgart, Swiatek has gone 12-0 and is now coming off back-to-back WTA 1000 wins in Madrid and Rome.
With a 14-1 record on clay this spring, Swiatek acknowledges she feels very confident going into the French Open. However, the three-time French Open champion insists she is remaining “humble” and not taking anything for granted.
“Well, obviously I am confident. I feel like I’m playing great tennis. But it doesn’t change the fact that I really want to stay humble and really focused on getting everything step by step. Grand Slams are different. There is different pressure on the court and off the court,” Swiatek said.
“For sure, I love to come to Paris again and be there. It’s a great place for me to be. I really enjoy my time there anyway.
“These are hard seven matches that you need to win, so I don’t take anything for granted. I’ll just work hard as I did in Madrid and Rome and we’ll see.”
Iga Swiatek © Getty Images Sport – Julian Finney
After winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2020 French Open, Swiatek also captured her second and third titles at Roland Garros in 2022 and 2023.
This year, Swiatek will attempt to complete a three-peat at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career and achieve another very notable milestone. If Swiatek wins this year’s French Open, she will become a five-time Grand Slam champion as she also has one US Open title in her collection.
" title="
You must be logged in to post a comment Login