Why Iga Swiatek said she ‘did not care’ about whether she won or lost before her first Grand Slam final

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In 2020, Iga Swiatek won her first of six Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros.

The Pole made history in the French capital, becoming the first from her country to get their hands on a major singles title.

Swiatek put together a phenomenal run at the French Open that year, winning the tournament without dropping a set.

She overcame Marketa Vondrousova, Eugenie Bouchard, and top seed Simona Halep en route to the final, where she ultimately came out on top against Sofia Kenin.

It was a momentous achievement for Swiatek, who, oddly, said she did not care about the result heading into the championship match.

Iga Swiatek’s reaction to her post-semifinal comments in 2020

When asked in her post-final press conference if she really meant it when she said that she did not care after winning the trophy, Swiatek responded: “Actually it was so crazy for me winning against Simona that I already thought about the tournament as, like, my lifetime achievement. Really, I had no expectations.

“I knew it was going to be tough in the final. I didn’t want to stress a lot about it, so I just told myself that I didn’t care and I tried to believe in that.

“I think at the end I really just enjoyed the moment. It’s not that I don’t care if I’m going to win or lose, I’m just not thinking about it all the time.

“I’m focusing on the things I do right now because winning is just an effect of my work that I’m doing every minute.

“Well, I’m just proud of myself. I’ve done a great job past two weeks. I wasn’t expecting to win this trophy. It’s obviously amazing for me. It’s, like, a life-changing experience.”

Iga Swiatek said there were ‘no limits’ for her after winning the title

At 19 years and four months old, Swiatek became the youngest woman to win the Roland Garros title since Monica Seles in 1992.

Swiatek said: “I know that there are no limits. Even though you’re really young and you’re an underdog, you can do a lot in a sport like tennis.

“Well, on one hand, it’s pretty inspiring. Sometimes I caught myself visualising that I’m also winning a Grand Slam. But on the other hand, it was also, like, really far away. Right now, when I’m here, and I’m a Grand Slam champion, it’s crazy.

“You believe in things, but in the back of your head you know that there’s going to be, like, huge amount of work that you have to do to win that. Then after two weeks of great playing, you already have it. It’s just – I don’t know – overwhelming.”

Since then, she has won the French Open three more times, having three-peated from 2022 to 2024.