How ‘introverted’ Iga Świątek became a four-time grand slam champion and the world’s highest-paid female athlete

By George Ramsay, CNN

(CNN) — Calm and understated, Iga Świątek rarely appears flustered by the triumphant highs and heart-breaking lows of professional tennis, but discovering that she would be crowned world No. 1 for the first time was an exception.

“I remember it was really overwhelming,” says Świątek. “I cried for like 20 minutes.”

That tearful moment of reflection two years ago was just the start. Since rising to the top of the rankings, the Polish star has been a dominant force in women’s tennis, winning 16 titles – 21 in total – and only once dropping from the No. 1 spot for an eight-week period last year.

She is unmatched in her ability to sweep aside opponents in brutal fashion, and her habit of winning sets 6-0 – referred to as a “bagel” – and 6-1 – a “breadstick” – has led to jokes from tennis fans about Świątek running a bakery.

After claiming back-to-back titles in Madrid and Rome, the 22-year-old is in auspicious form as she attempts to win the fifth grand slam of her young career at the French Open, entering the tournament on a 12-match winning streak.

In the current era of women’s tennis, no player has achieved so much in such a short space of time, and even Świątek admits that her success has been a surprise.

“Honestly, it’s hard to get a grasp on it because it all happened so fast,” she tells CNN Sport. “When I was younger, I wouldn’t even expect myself to be in the top five, (let alone) these kinds of stats.

“For sure, I’m proud of myself and of the team, because without them I wouldn’t be in that place.”

Świątek is most prolific on her preferred surface of clay, and the French Open, where she is a three-time champion, is her favorite of the four grand slams.

She has only lost twice at Roland Garros, accumulating 28 wins since her debut in 2019. Whichever qualifier or lucky loser faces Świątek in the first round could be the next victim.

But being the world No. 1 and commanding so much success in a single tournament comes with its own challenges, particularly when you’re the one player in the draw everyone wants to beat.

“Sometimes I get this feeling off the court a little bit, or when I analyze these matches and I see that these players were super-motivated, more than usual when they played against me,” says Świątek.

“But on the other hand, when you’re on court, you don’t have time to think about things like that … The best way, honestly, is really taking it step-by-step, not looking at the draws and not thinking what can happen in the quarterfinals or semifinals because there’s still a long way (to go).”

Having spent more than 100 weeks as the world No. 1, Świątek is growing used to the added pressures and responsibilities of being the world’s top-ranked player.

The process, however, has been a learning curve: as well as handling her high expectations for every tournament, she has had to deal with increased focus from the media and the demands of her widening portfolio of sponsors.

For a self-described introvert, that hasn’t always been straightforward.

“People really accept that I’m an introvert and sometimes I like things quiet and not too much noise around me,” says Świątek. “We’re trying to really take it easy and manage all these obligations well so it’s not too much.”

One way of handling these demands has been working closely with her sports psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, who travels around the world as part of Świątek’s team of trainers.

The focus is primarily on performance – improving concentration, dealing with high-pressure environments, and learning how to stay calm on the court – but Abramowicz’s influence also extends beyond that.

“When we started working in 2019, I was really, really introverted,” says Świątek. “She helped me to feel more comfortable in the world around me, and I think without that part of the work that we did, I wouldn’t be able to handle all this pressure and attention that you get when you become world No. 1.

“She’s the kind of person that will kind of tell me, ‘Oh, Iga, I think you’re doing too much, you need to really focus on your game right now because I see that it’s harder for you to concentrate,’ or things like that.”

Among Świątek’s list of sponsors are Porsche, Rolex, LEGO – which she uses as part of her mental preparation – and cosmetic brand Lancôme – with whom she is the first athlete to sign a worldwide ambassador deal.

Last year, she became the first female athlete to be sponsored by sportswear brand On and has helped to develop the company inaugural tennis range. “I feel really taken care of,” says Świątek of the partnership, “which is sometimes a struggle when you work with companies that have 20 other athletes just in one sport.”

“Beyond Number One,” a short film produced by On about her rise to the summit of tennis, released earlier this week.

Given her sustained success in recent years, it’s no surprise that Świątek has attracted so much attention from sponsors.

She was named as Forbes’ highest-paid female athlete last year having earned $23.9 million – $9.9 million in prize money and $14 million off the court – topping the list ahead of Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu and American rival Coco Gauff.

Tennis players, including Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka, and Aryna Sabalenka, made up nine of the top 10 and 12 of the top 20 on Forbes’ list.

“She has been really the first player since Serena (Williams) and (Maria) Sharapova retired that has been consistent week in and week out, competing to win grand slams every time she steps on the court,” Max Eisenbud, Świątek’s agent at IMG, tells CNN Sport about the reasons for her commercial success.

“I think that consistency in play has certainly separated her and made her very attractive to potential endorsers … Brands like that she’s real – she is who she is – and I think that’s refreshing. Sometimes when you get into this whole social media world, this whole influencer world, it’s not the case with realness.”

For Świątek, that “realness” means talking openly about her love for Taylor Swift, LEGO – last year, she was gifted a model of Rome’s Colosseum for her birthday – or reading in the park. She enjoyed the autobiographies of Andre Agassi and Lindsey Vonn but generally prefers fiction to sports books.

“I sometimes have too much sport in my life,” Świątek admits.

Eisenbud calls her a “dream client” and “one of the most professional athletes I’ve ever been around.”

“She’s waking up every day and thinking about how to be great, and that’s from her diet to her sleep to her decisions that she’s making,” he adds.

This dedicated, detailed approach has helped to create the best all-around game in women’s tennis right now – aggressive groundstrokes, a vicious, topspin-laden forehand, and canny movement around the court.

At Roland Garros, Świątek could become only the third woman to win three consecutive titles in the Open Era after Monica Seles and Justine Henin – potentially another landmark on her impressive resume.

She would be 23 by then but already with more titles and accolades than most tennis players could dream of; after her own, modest childhood ambitions, the possibilities for Świątek’s career seem limitless.

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