For Iga Swiatek, winning a second Roland-Garros title in three years, when the eyes of the world were on her, meant even more than her first.
While her first triumph, in 2020, came almost out of the blue, this time she was the bookmaker's favourite, the one everyone knew they had to beat, which brings its own pressure. She dealt with it superbly beating Coco Gauff 6-3 6-1 saying after the match:
“It feels amazing really, very different from 2020. I feel more prepared, more solid. I can celebrate a little bit more. I think in 2020 the main thing that I felt was confusion because I have never really believed 100 per cent that I can actually win a Grand Slam."
She continued:
“This time it was pure work and pure... I don't know. Just with everything that was going on, I'm also more aware of how it is to win a Grand Slam and what it takes and how every puzzle has to come together and basically every aspect of the game has to work. With that awareness, I was even more happy and even more proud of myself, because in 2020 it was all, I just felt that I'm lucky. This time I felt like I really did the work.”