Iga Swiatek is on her way to becoming one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all time, having now clinched her sixth Grand Slam title already at the age of 24.
Swiatek defeated Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon final to become the first Pole to emerge victorious in singles at the All England Club.
Following her triumph in South West London, she is now the eighth woman in the Open Era to complete the ‘Surface Slam’, having now won a major on clay, grass and hard-court.
The star’s Grand Slam tally is now up there with some greats of the game, and she trails Venus Williams by one.
She’ll have plenty of work to do in order to catch up with Venus’ sister Serena Williams, however, who Swiatek once spoke glowingly of when the careers of the two overlapped.
Iga Swiatek said what she struggled with around Serena Williams
In a press conference at the Cincinnati Open in 2022, Swiatek said: “I have a hard time catching eye contact with Serena. It’s tough because she always had so many people around her, and I’m pretty shy.
“When I look at her, I suddenly kind of forget that I’m here as the world number one.
“I see Serena, and it’s like, wow, Serena, you know? I feel like I’m the kid from kindergarten just looking at her, so it’s tough.”
When asked by a reporter: “She must know who you are, though, surely,” Swiatek laughed and responded: “I don’t know.”
Iga Swiatek’s ongoing pursuit of the Career Grand Slam
A feat that Swiatek has closed in on after winning Wimbledon is the ‘Career Grand Slam’, which only six women have managed in the Open Era.
The last player to win each of the four major titles was Maria Sharapova, who completed the feat in 2012 at the French Open.
| Player | Event of completion |
|---|---|
| Billie Jean King | 1972 French Open |
| Chris Evert | 1982 Australian Open |
| Martina Navratilova | 1983 US Open |
| Steffi Graf | 1988 US Open |
| Serena Williams | 2003 Australian Open |
| Maria Sharapova | 2012 French Open |
In Swiatek’s case, just one Australian Open title is all she needs to make history, having won Roland Garros four times, and the US Open and Wimbledon once.
She has reached the semi-finals in Melbourne twice in her career, but has never managed to go all the way.
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