"I think if I were American, I would’ve believed in myself a lot more": Swiatek never believed she'd be a Grand Slam winner or World Number One due to lack of tennis tradition in Poland

Iga Swiatek penned a letter in the Players Tribune and she opened about the lack of tennis tradition in Poland which made her question herself.

Swiatek has been a player that worked her way to where she is. It wasn't an easy journey for her but it was one that saw her transform herself from a player that doubted herself to one that believes in herself greatly. It resulted in the Polish player winning three grand slams so far in her career and more will likely to come.

She wrote:

"I never really believed that it actually was going to be possible for me to win a Grand Slam or be World No. 1, because I’m not from a country with a long tradition of playing tennis. I think if I were American, I would’ve believed in myself a lot more from a young age, because they have so many famous people that made it, and so many great examples to follow."

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Swiatek talked a lot about hiring a sports psychologist and how that transformed her career completely. She also wrote about tennis tradition in general on how that shapes a young player's mentality when starting out:

"When I looked at how many people actually succeeded in tennis in Poland not so long ago, it was only Agnieszka Radwańska really, so I just didn’t think it’d be possible. Poland doesn’t have that “system” yet, per se. The conditions aren’t as great for the athletes, the money’s not there, truthfully. Sometimes growing up I had nowhere to play, so my dad always had to adjust. And it wasn’t easy for him to put all that money into hiring a coach, and having a court to practice on. That part is the hardest to think back on and share openly, but I want to be honest."

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