As Iga Swiatek navigated her way to a third Roland Garros crown, and fourth Grand Slam trophy overall, earlier this month, the 22-year-old Pole felt like “the whole world was watching” her.
Not only did she feel she had to live up to her title-favorite status on her beloved clay, Swiatek also had to fend off Aryna Sabalenka, who could have replaced her at the top of the rankings had the Belarusian matched her result in Paris, or gone one better.
It was perhaps the most pressure Swiatek had felt on the major stage and she passed the test with flying colors, dropping just one set en route to lifting the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen.
Her record at the French Open now stands at a remarkable 28-2 (93 percent) and she is 63-9 lifetime on clay at tour level. On Monday, Swiatek begins her 64th consecutive week as the world No.1 and can approach the grass season with far less pressure on her shoulders.