Swiatek’s grass breakthrough wasn’t just about winning Wimbledon

In recent years, the women’s draw at Wimbledon has felt like a tournament of surprise champions: Rybakina, Vondrousova, Krejcikova. That’s not to take anything away from their achievements — it’s just that none of them managed to build on those breakthrough wins. Injuries, mental struggles, coaching drama — something always seemed to get in the way of consistent success.

Iga Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, doesn’t quite belong in that group, but her win on grass this season was still unexpected. Partly because, after the doping scandal, she’s no longer seen as the unstoppable force she once was. And partly because Wimbledon has historically been her weakest Slam — before this year, her best result was a quarterfinal in 2023.

But what really matters is how she did it: not dropping a single game in the final. The last time we saw a scoreline like that in a Slam final was all the way back in 1988, when Steffi Graf demolished Natalia Zvereva at Roland Garros.

For Anisimova, it was her first Grand Slam final; for Swiatek, her first at Wimbledon. But from the very start, Iga showed just how mentally strong she is. It’s worth recalling her breakthrough win at Roland Garros in 2020. Back then, the 19-year-old Pole was ranked just 54th in the world. Her victory was remarkable not only because she claimed the title as an unseeded player, but also because she didn’t drop a single set throughout the tournament — and never lost more than five games in any match.

She played confidently right up until the final. The only real challenge came in her match against McNally — the only player in the tournament who managed to take a set off Iga. Collins, Townsend, Samsonova, and Bencic couldn’t do that.

Iga managed to avoid tough opponents like Rybakina and Sabalenka — though it was those players themselves who made that possible. Sabalenka at least put up a real fight against Anisimova in what turned out to be one of the most thrilling matches of the tournament, while Rybakina more or less handed the win to Tauson.

Iga is the kind of player who squeezes everything out of every moment, staying focused and composed at all times. In that way, she’s very much like her idol, Rafael Nadal — and perhaps it was his success on grass that helped convince her she could win on this surface too.

Unlike Nadal, though, Swiatek actually won the junior title at Wimbledon. Of course, the gap between junior and professional tennis is huge, but it’s hard to believe that a player of her caliber ever truly forgot how to play on grass. She just needed time to adjust. A lot of time, maybe — but look at the result.

Iga is often called the most talented player of her generation for a reason. And her results, no matter how you feel about the Polish player, prove it Now, Swiatek has Slam titles on all surfaces, she’s never lost a Slam final, and only the Australian Open separates her from a career Grand Slam.

Now Iga is back in the top 3 — and hopefully staying there – because this is the Iga the tour’s been missing.

Competition is what elevates the game — and that’s something the women’s tour still lacks: a true rivalry in the spirit of Sinner vs. Alcaraz. But we’ve already seen just how compelling it can be when Swiatek and Sabalenka go head-to-head. So we are waiting for new ones.

Cover photo: Iga Swiatek, 2025 Wimbledon ladies’ singles champion and Rolex testimonee, celebrates her victory after the final.

Photo courtesy of Rolex.