It's super surreal, says Swiatek

Qatar Tribune

5 days ago

PA Media/DPA
London
Iga Swiatek crushed Amanda Anisimova in the most one-sided Wimbledon final for 114 years on Saturday.
Anisimova, playing in her first grand slam showpiece, failed to win a single game, with Swiatek racing to a 6-0, 6-0 victory on a stunned Centre Court in only 57 minutes.
Not since 1911, when Dorothea Lambert Chambers beat Dora Boothby, had a Wimbledon final been decided by such a scoreline, while the only other instance at a grand slam came in the French Open in 1988 when Steffi Graf beat Natasha Zvereva.
What should have been the best moment of her career turned into a nightmare for 23-year-old Anisimova, but it signals a return to the top table for Swiatek.
The 24-year-old has brilliantly found her best level again on grass after a difficult time on her favoured clay and claimed a sixth major title, with Swiatek now having won slam trophies on every surface.
She also becomes the first Polish winner of a Wimbledon singles title in the open era, 13 years after her compatriot Agnieszka Radwanska lost to Serena Williams in the final.
'It seems super surreal,' Swiatek said during the trophy presentation.
'First of all I want to congratulate Amanda for an amazing two weeks no matter what happened today. I hope we're going to play many more finals here and at other tournaments.
'I didn't even dream (about winning Wimbledon) because it was way too far, I feel like I'm already an experienced player after winning the slams before but I never really expected this one.'
Anisimova's comeback has been one of the stories of the fortnight, with the former teenage prodigy having stepped away from tennis for eight months in 2023 for mental health reasons.
Last year she did not even make the first round having lost in qualifying but at the All England Club she has shown what made her such an exciting talent, upsetting world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals.
Anisimova, after taking time to cry, said: 'Iga, you're such an incredible player, obviously showed today. You've been such an inspiration to me, an unbelievable athlete. Congratulations to you and your team.
'Thank you to everyone who's supported me since my first-round match here. It's been an incredible fortnight for me even though I ran out of gas today and I wish I could have put on a better performance for you.'
The American thanked her mum for flying to London this morning to see the match, adding: 'It's definitely not why I lost today. I'm so glad I get to share this with you.'
A first grand slam final is always a nerve-racking occasion, though, and it was obvious from the start that Anisimova was struggling to get her legs moving and her arms swinging freely.
She could not find her first serve and was making error after error, while Swiatek, who had won all five of her previous slam finals, looked right at home.
The Pole is one of the best front runners the sport has seen and she did not allow Anisimova any chance to settle as the groans of the crowd grew ever more audible.
The breezy conditions did not help, and it took Swiatek just 25 minutes to wrap up the first set, with Anisimova winning only nine points.
The American twice screamed in frustration, and probably rising panic, after errors in the opening game of the second set.
The eight former champions sat in the Royal Box would have empathised with Anisimova's predicament but she could find no way of getting any kind of foothold in the match.
Every half chance was either snuffed out by Swiatek or crushed by another wild mistake - she made 28 unforced errors in the 12 games - and a final Swiatek winner put her out of her misery.