Reckoning after Wimbledon hammer: Iga Swiatek triumphs historic and vents her anger

Reckoning after Wimbledon hammer: Iga Swiatek triumphs historic and vents her anger 13.07.2025, 06:49

The women's tennis final at the grass-court classic was a historically one-sided affair. Iga Swiatek triumphed, leaving her opponent without a single win. This had only happened once before, at Wimbledon. The winner, however, had something to say after the final.

With a historic final victory and the Wimbledon title under her belt, Iga Swiatek launched a media slam. "I hope they'll just leave me alone and let me do my job. You can see what we're doing," said the 24-year-old, referring to the criticism from the Polish media. The exceptional talent from Warsaw hadn't won a tournament for more than a year and had slipped from the top of the world rankings to eighth place – with her triumph at Church Road, she made an impressive comeback.

The way she and her team have been treated by the Polish press in recent months has been "not really pleasant," Swiatek emphasized after her resounding 6-0, 6-0 victory in the final of the grass-court classic against American Amanda Anisimova. She has already "proven a lot," said the now six-time Grand Slam champion: "I know people always want more. But it's my own process, my own life, and my own career," Swiatek said clearly. She hopes the media will allow her "the freedom to do my job the way I want."

"This hasn't happened in 114 years"

After the triumph, there was at least plenty of praise for Swiatek, some of it bizarre. The "Super Express" newspaper wrote, for example: "The Polish destroyer Swiatek is the queen of Wimbledon." The "Gazeta Wyborcza" newspaper found a very difficult comparison. It stated: "That was a chainsaw massacre: Iga Swiatek beat Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0." Meanwhile, the "Przeglad Sportowy" newspaper struck a more moderate tone: "She did it! Iga Swiatek is Wimbledon champion! There hasn't been a final like this in 114 years!"

And things are going really well again at the moment. After four titles at Roland Garros (clay) and her 2022 US Open triumph (hard court), Swiatek has now won a Major title on all three surfaces – the youngest player to do so since Serena Williams in 2002. A 6-0, 6-0 Grand Slam final had only occurred once in the Open Era, when Steffi Graf beat Natallia Swerawa in 1988.

Swiatek traveled to southwest London with low expectations, having never won a grass-court title before. That's one reason why the title at Church Road, like the 2022 US Open victory, felt "better" than her French Open triumphs, Swiatek said, "because no one expected this." She didn't know the party plans shortly after her victory. "I don't know what the team and my family are up to. They've been celebrating for two hours. They're in a different phase," Swiatek said with a laugh. "But I'm definitely joining them."