Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates her victory after winning the French Open Tennis Tournament Final at Roland Garros, Paris, France, October 10, 2020. /CFP
When Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski missed out on the chance to win his first Ballon d'Or after the prestigious award was cancelled for the first time since 1956 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Poland was shocked.
As one of the most recognizable Polish stars in the world, Lewandowski was favorite to receive the honor after netting incredible 55 goals in 47 games and helping Bayern win the UEFA Champions League, Super Cup, Bundesliga and German Cup last season. However, the organizers' controversial decision to write off the campaign's achievement broke the 32-year-old and his compatriots' heart.
"We won everything we could with Bayern. I was the top scorer in all competitions I featured in and I think a player who achieves this would win the Ballon d'Or," a clearly frustrated Lewandowski told Polish reporters back in August.
Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski scores 16 more goals than any other player in Europe's top five leagues across all competitions in 2019-20. /CFP
Like many others in the footballing world, he thought he has been robbed of the 2020 Ballon d'Or.
Fortunately, nobody could rob Iga Swiatek of the tennis world's biggest trophy. The 19-year-old Polish girl, who arrived in Paris ranked 54 in the world, defied the odds to win the French Open after overwhelming Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin in the final on Saturday.
As the youngest women's French Open winner since 1992, Swiatek became the first Pole to win a Grand Slam singles title, eclipsing the run of Polish legend Jadwiga Jedrzejowska, who finished runner-up at Roland Garros in 1939.
Lewandowski was among the first to offer congratulations as the whole Poland erupted into celebration. "What an amazing success, what a great story! Good job, Iga Swiatek," he beamed on Twitter.
Polish football superstar Robert Lewandowski offers congratulations to 19-year-old Iga Swiatek's French Open triumph. /Twitter screenshot
The exhilaration was shared by tennis star Agnieszka Radwanska, who is the first Polish player in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam singles final in 2012, when he stormed into the Wimbledon Championships final and lost to Serena Williams.
"Congratulations, Iga Swiatek! A fabulous showing for tennis," Radwanska posted on Instagram.
Poland's President Andrzej Duda also expressed his public endorsement. "Great thanks and congratulations for Iga Swiatek! A historic day for Poland, for Polish sport and for Polish tennis. Bravo!" he tweeted.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also followed suit, tweeting "Huge congratulations to Iga Swiatek, who has achieved today the success of her life and – I am convinced – just the first success in the Grand Slam. Amazing story written by this young girl on the Roland Garros courts! Paris is Polish today!"
Agnieszka Radwanska is the first Polish player in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam singles final. /CFP
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander was equally optimistic about the teenager's bright future. "Iga looked so relieved but also calm, she is going to win so many more – you can see that in her demeanor throughout the whole finals," he said via Eurosport.
He was echoed by former British No.1 Tim Henman, who told the Guardian: "Her mentality is so strong when she is so young. Those three elements, the physical, technical and mental are all so important and you see her athletic ability, too."
"When you reflect on her mentality, how calm she's been, her sense of belonging she's had out on court, it's been incredible all the way through. When you add it all up – 28 games she lost to win a grand slam in seven matches – it's just been a complete domination. She's such a deserving champion."
Facing a deluge of congratulatory messages, Swiatek exuded confidence and calm. "I know it's going to be crazy. I think I'm going to get used to that, it's not going to be a problem for me," the Warsaw native said in his post-game interview.
An emotional Iga Swiatek reacts after winning the French Open Tennis Tournament Final at Roland Garros, Paris, France, October 10, 2020. /CFP
"I didn't have problem with, like, getting attention, with people surrounding me. I think it's going to be okay for me. I really appreciate all the support I got during whole two weeks. I know that the whole country was behind me and they all believed in me. I'm going to be happy and proud," she noted.
Seven of the past eight grand slam titles have been won by players under the age of 23, and Swiatek knows that the new generation of tennis players need to be more ruthless and consistent if they want to achieve dominance in this sport.
"I know my game isn't developed perfectly," she observed. "Also I think the biggest change for me is going to be to be consistent. I think this is what women's tennis is struggling with."
"That's why we have so many new Grand Slam winners because we are not as consistent as Rafa, Roger, and Novak. That's why my goal is going to be to be consistent. It's going to be really hard to achieve that," she added.
Swiatek's path to the French Open title
First round: beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-2
Second round: beat Hsieh Su-Wei 6-1, 6-4
Third round: beat Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-2
Fourth round: beat Simona Halep 6-1, 6-2
Quarterfinal: beat Martina Trevisan 6-3, 6-1
Semifinal: beat Nadia Podoroska 6-2, 6-1
Final: beat Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-1