Tennis News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Iga Swiatek Cherishes Playing Under Pressure After Reaching First Wimbledon Final

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Fahad Hamid | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 8:45 PM ET

Iga Swiatek believes that she loves to play under pressure despite the decline in expectations after a difficult 2025 season. The Polish player was speaking to the media after reaching her first Wimbledon final.

Swiatek has reached her second successive grass-court final after reaching the championship match in Bad Homburg two weeks ago. She would hope to return to the winner’s circle this time. Swiatek said in her Wimbledon press conference:

I’m never going to have a season where the pressure isn’t imposed on me by external expectations. Each year is more or less the same, but I feel that sometimes I can handle it better or ignore it, other times worse. Honestly, I think it’s easier if you haven’t won Roland Garros and also if you’ve had more time to train. If I win Roland Garros and then come here and everyone asks me… They set very high expectations for me. It’s not logical for me.

The final in Bad Homburg was the first time in over a year that Swiatek had reached a Championship match. She lost to Jessica Pegula in the final.

Now, she once again has an attempt to secure her first grass court title. This time, it could potentially be the biggest title of her career. Swiatek lost in the third round at SW19 last year and her best result before this year at Wimbledon was a quarterfinal.

Iga Swiatek reaches Wimbledon final

Eighth seed Iga Swiatek has reached her first Wimbledon final, marking a new high point in her grass-court career. The No. 8 seed from Poland delivered a dominant 6-2, 6-0 win over Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in Thursday’s semifinal. The match lasted just 1 hour and 12 minutes on Centre Court, with both players making their first appearance in a Wimbledon semifinal.

Swiatek will now face No. 13 seed Amanda Anisimova in Saturday’s final. Remarkably, the two have never met in a professional match. Their only prior encounter was in juniors back in 2016, where Swiatek came out on top. Despite that gap, both enter the championship clash in strong form.

Swiatek hasn’t claimed a title since winning the 2024 French Open. Earlier this year, her reign in Paris was halted by Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, ending her long winning streak at Roland Garros. However, she has bounced back on grass, making her first final on the surface at Bad Homburg just two weeks ago.

Though grass was once considered her weakest surface, Swiatek now looks fully at ease. The five-time Grand Slam winner is unbeaten in major finals, with four Roland Garros trophies and one US Open title. A sixth crown on a third surface would further cement her legacy as a true all-surface champion.

Iga Swiatek showcases impressive stats

Former World No.1 Iga Swiatek powered into her first Wimbledon final with a commanding win over Belinda Bencic. The world No. 4 needed just 72 minutes to secure a 6-2, 6-0 victory, maintaining her excellent grass-court form. She broke Bencic five times and faced only two break points, both of which she saved with ease.

Swiatek dominated behind her serve, landing nearly 70% of her first serves and winning over 80% of those points. Her return game was just as sharp, winning more than half the points on Bencic’s serve. The Pole’s balance of aggression and control was evident, finishing with twice as many winners as unforced errors.

This victory marked Swiatek’s 30th 6-0 set in Grand Slam play and her 105th overall. With the result, she became the only active WTA player to reach a major final on all three surfaces. At just 24 years old, she’s also the youngest player to do so since Justine Henin in 2003.

Swiatek will now face Amanda Anisimova in the final. The pair last played each other as juniors, but this will be their first meeting on the professional stage. Swiatek has reached 28 WTA finals in her career and is now looking to add a sixth Grand Slam title — and her first on grass.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: