Iga Świątek in Lublin: I'm proud for myself and the team

The 21-year-old champion won her second Grand Slam title on Saturday in Paris, extending her impressive winning streak to 35 games (the longest streak since 2000, Świątek matched Venus Williams's record). The Polish tennis prodigy has won six titles in a row: in Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome and Paris.

"My main goal was to show stability. So as not to let the win from two years back be just a flash in the pan. I'm proud for myself and the team. Now, the current rankings have surpassed our expectations. I hope I can keep the pole position maybe until the end of the year, and possibly next season as well," the Polish tennis player said.

Świątek praised her team again and stressed its key role in her successes. "All these people are experts. I'm happy we're having fun together, they are my second family. That's how a tennis tour looks like, I feel their support. I would like to pass this support further if I can," she stressed.

What did the champion dream about when she was a kid? The answer might have been a surprise to some. "I wasn't like most of the sportspeople, I never imagined myself at the top with trophies. I was happy to live life one day at a time and to be able to feel joy from playing tennis and winning. It was hard for me to imagine I could become successful like this," she admitted.

She immediately added: "I was extremely lucky. Last seasons showed me that sky is the limit and that there are no boundaries for me".

Świątek has been resting, but recent months, practice and one game after another have taken their toll. "I haven't practiced in two days and I feel I'm bursting with energy. Yesterday I cleaned half of my house in half an hour," she smiled.

"At the moment I'm spending my vacation at home. I left in mid-April and returned only yesterday. I haven't had time to eat some home-made food. Maybe after Wimbledon I will have more of it (of time) to spend a few days at the beach, or maybe on a boat..." - she added.

Świątek was also asked how she was handling the ever-growing pressure. "I think that surprisingly well. I was aware that if I succeeded, I would have to face it. And I actually like it. When I was young I yearned to be acknowledged, and now I am - maybe even too much, for which I'm grateful. The only pressure I feel at the court is the one I put on myself," she said.

Although her name has been already published on the WTA 500 in Berlin list of participants, Świątek says she has not made the decision to start yet. "Last month was so intensive that I certainly need rest," she said, adding that she would try to find balance between regeneration and tournament preparation.

She added that if she decides to not start in Berlin, her next tournament will be at Wimbledon (June 27). "Now I'm definitely more confident, but the question is how I will feel on the grass, as I haven't started to practice on that surface yet. I'm lacking experience, because I only played on it maybe for two months in my life," she explained.

"Serve is more important on the grass. It's hard to switch from clay to grass, as it means switching from the slowest surface to the fastest. Moving and positioning are completely different, I won't be able to slide. I would like to improve my volley. I have plenty of things to work on and that's good, as it shows I can become better," Iga Świątek said.

She also said that she was surprised to see how well her body handled the last tournament marathon and how important was her work with her psychologist Daria Abramowicz.

Asked if she had moments of doubt in Paris, she replied that "such moments come in every tournament". She admitted that in this year's Roland Garros the game against Zheng Qinwen had been such a moment.