"I never doubted that she could recover from pregnancy": Iga Swiatek praises resilient Belinda Bencic ahead of semifinal clash

Iga Swiatek heaped praise on her upcoming opponent, Belinda Bencic, after the Swiss reached the Wimbledon semifinals just six months after returning to the courts following her maternity break. The former Tokyo 2020 gold medalist is preparing for her second appearance in a Grand Slam semifinal.

It will be a high-voltage clash with the five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek as the favorite. She defeated the tough Liudmila Samsonova (19th seed) in a display of resilience, reaching the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time in her career.

Wimbledon has probably been the most elusive Grand Slam for Swiatek, being the only one where she hadn't reached at least the semifinals until now. Her best appearance before this year was in 2023, reaching the quarterfinals and falling to Ukraine's Elina Svitolina – another player who also made her return to the courts after maternity.

"I still believe that in 2023 I had a very good tournament here. I played well, but I didn't manage to go further," Swiatek mentioned, recalling her previous best performance. "This year I feel like I've evolved as a player, I've trained well. My confidence has increased match by match. Emotions? I'm happy with what I did and proud of myself.”

She will have an unexpected opponent in front of her: World No. 35 Belinda Bencic. There are few doubts about the level a player like Bencic can display, with extensive experience on Tour and a former career-high ranking of World No. 4. However, after her maternity break, few would have predicted her in the semifinals. Nevertheless, she earned a more than deserved spot among the final four, leaving behind rivals like Ekaterina Alexandrova (18th) and Mirra Andreeva (7th).

"I respect her a lot. I can't even imagine how difficult it was to recover from pregnancy," the Pole commented. "We trained together at the United Cup this year. She's got her rhythm back. She has a game that can win on grass. I never doubted that she can come back after pregnancy. She seems like she's in a good mood and she's playing well." 

Swiatek and Bencic will face each other this Thursday to determine who will play in the tournament final. The Pole has won three of their four previous encounters, including their last match at Wimbledon 2023, where she survived a tight battle 6-7(4), 7-6, 6-3.