Iga Świątek: my life turned upside down

"The adrenaline is still pumping. I need more time to look at it all from a wider perspective" - Iga Świątek said.

On Wednesday in Warsaw, the young champion met with journalists for the first time since her triumph in Paris. At a press conference she was accompanied by her team: coaches Piotr Sierzputowski and Maciej Ryszczuk and sport psychologist Daria Abramowicz.

"Iga is very mindful, despite her young age. She has used her resources and potential magnificently. It wasn't an easy time though. What you have seen in television is only a fraction of the work done. It wasn't easy. It wasn't a metamorphosis, but rather an evolution. The doubles proved very helpful in sticking to ones routines. Iga withstood excellently the difficulties of this tournament" - Abramowicz said.

The young champion reassured that new challenges, pressure and media attention would not get the better of her. "I never had problems with it, I exert it (the pressure) myself. If such problems appear, we will notice them immediately. I try not to be too preoccupied with things. It's a new situation for me and I will have to adapt to it" - Świątek said.

And yet the changes in her life are enormous. "My life turned upside down. I will have get used to it," she said.

There's no doubt about it. The game against Simona Halep in the fourth round was crucial. After defeating the highest-seeded player of the tournament, Iga Świątek believed she could go all the way in the French Open.

"That was a breakthrough moment. I played a perfect game against Simona Halep" - she said. "My quality surpassed my expectations."

Ahead of each match in Paris, Iga turned up wearing headphones as she is very much into music.

"I listen to rock before games to boost energy. I usually have one song for each tournament" - she explained.

During the French Open she was getting her kicks by listening to the riffs by Slash in "Welcome to the Jungle", from the Guns N' Roses debut album. However, it's not only rock the champion listens to, as she has recently admitted she also likes to relax with jazz.

Spain's Rafael Nadal, who won for the French Open for the 13th time on Sunday, is Iga Świątek's idol. She never hided this.

"I've always been his fan. Unfortunately, we didn't meet in Paris. I hope that this day is yet to come, and maybe he will notice the potential of this relation" - Świątek said jokingly.

Although they had no chance to speak to each other, both her and the Spaniard practiced close to each other.

"On the first day of the tournament, I was warming up before practice, I was playing football with a friend from Slovenia when a man from Rafa's security told us to stop. Meanwhile, Rafa only waved his hand. It was a sign that we could continue playing" - Iga laughed.

What's next? A well-deserved rest. The teenage champion is not looking to leave Poland due to the pandemic. Iga and her team simply aren't looking that far ahead.

"At the moment we're celebrating the win" - said coach Piotr Sierzputowski. "We shall continue the work we've done so far" - he added.

If anything changes, it's the practice location. "The reason is simple. We need as much peace as possible. It's very important if want to achieve good results in the future. Do we have plans for the next year? We haven't got down to it yet" - said the coach.