"He was the one leading": Iga Swiatek dishes on dancing with Sinner at the Wimbledon Champions dinner

Iga Świątek has not yet concluded her 2025 season, as she is competing in the Billie Jean King Cup play-offs this weekend with Team Poland. The World No. 2 is thus wrapping up a season marked by her Wimbledon title—the 6th Grand Slam of her career and her first on the grass courts of SW19.

It was undoubtedly one of the moments that defined the year for Swiatek, as it snapped a streak of inconsistent play, with over a year passing since her incredible 2024 clay-swing campaign, which culminated in the Roland Garros title. Her 2025 clay swing fell short of expectations, and she dropped in the rankings after several tournaments where she could not defend her title, including the French Open.

Thus, Swiatek arrived at the grass-swing wobbling in confidence, appearing a step behind other names that stole attention on clay, such as Aryna Sabalenka or Coco Gauff. “If someone had told me earlier what would happen at this year’s Wimbledon, I wouldn’t have believed it,” Swiatek confirmed in an interview with Polsat Sport.

The 6-time major champion highlighted the events at Wimbledon as the highest point of her season, especially due to the moment of low confidence she had been experiencing over the last year. “That’s why this season is so special for me, especially because of that victory in London,” she remarked. “It was a dream come true and something I didn’t expect, so I’m even happier. I played there with absolutely no expectations, just focusing on executing the plan we had set and repeating what I had been doing in practice.”

Unlike 2024—when she did not play any pre-Wimbledon grass tournaments—this time, Swiatek prepared at the Bad Homburg Open, a tournament where she reached the final and lost to Pegula. However, it was a precursor to renewed confidence after more than a year without reaching a final, and at Wimbledon, she had a perfect campaign, culminating in a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Amanda Anisimova in the final. “This year’s preparation period before Wimbledon was the most solid compared to previous years, so the effects were visible right away, and we’ll prepare for Wimbledon the same way in the coming years.”

Swiatek’s campaign resulted in a champion lifting her first Wimbledon trophy for the 9th consecutive year. While the Pole had an extraordinary final against Anisimova, a day later on the men's side, Jannik Sinner also secured his first Wimbledon trophy, defeating 2-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in four sets.

As is traditional, Swiatek and Sinner participated in the Champions Dinner at the All England Lawn, where they enjoyed the traditional Champions' Dance, which sees the male and female champions dance together during the closing party of the event.

“I think he was very relaxed for various reasons,” Swiatek commented regarding her dance with Jannik Sinner. “I also tried to lighten the atmosphere and kept joking into his ear, but he was the one leading. I tried to adapt, because that’s how it should be in dance. We both knew we wouldn’t try anything complicated, so I really enjoyed it and I hope there’ll be a chance to repeat it someday.”

The 6-time major champion finished the main part of the year with an early exit at the WTA Finals, being eliminated in the Round Robin stage with one win and two losses. She completed a total of 79 matches this season—with 62 wins and 17 losses, three titles, and more than $10 million in prize money.

The Pole has often criticized the demands of the calendar and the large number of matches played throughout the year. In fact, her first official match of the year was on December 30, 2024, while this Friday she was on court disputing the Billie Jean King Cup—where a final appearance is expected this Sunday in the tie against Romania.

Świątek precisely addressed the large number of competitions required by the calendar and the difficulty of maintaining the level in every competition. “Playing for 11 months means there will be easier tournaments and others where every training session is a struggle and you just try everything to be ready for the first match.”

“I try to have good people around me who remind me of perspective and who can tell me things that help me remember why I started playing tennis and how much joy it can bring when you’re not focused on expectations or just winning or earning ranking points.”