May 6, 2024
Iga Swiatek relived the beautiful simplicity of her predicament at the end of the most dramatic final she has ever played.
There wasn’t despair, because she still harboured outrageous hope. And though she told herself she had nothing to lose, that wasn’t true either. A maiden Madrid title was on the line.
Having been backed into a corner by Aryna Sabalenka, however, Iga somehow felt liberated as she came out fighting.
And the Polish woman’s fearlessness resulted in some of the most exquisite twists and turns the game has ever seen.
During the three match points she saved, Iga recalled how the tension just left her. ‘I was like, “Okay, whatever. It’s not the first time in my life. I’m just going to go for it.”
‘I decided to play a fast serve, a big one. So I wanted to be courageous in that moment. When it came to the tie-break, I was kind of alive again, because I thought it was going to be over during the set.’
The result of that purity of thought and feeling was a wonderful 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7) victory. But that score-line barely does justice to the defiance of Swiatek’s resistance to Sabalenka’s crushing power.
Iga has now won pretty much all there is to win on clay. And fans of this extraordinary tennis warrior, who turns 23 at the end of the month, may soon turn their attention to another gap on her CV.
Iga Swiatek needs to bring this same fearlessness to Wimbledon 2024 to claim her first Grand Slam on grass.
Some would say victory at the Championships is already overdue, though her relatively tender age would suggest otherwise.
For now, Swiatek can savour the most dramatic experience of her young sporting life. ‘I think it was the most intense and crazy final I have played,’ said the girl who came back from the dead.
In the men’s event, Andrey Rublev also took three sets to defeat Canadian hot-shot Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
But not for he first time, it was the women who outshone the men as tennis gladiators on a massive occasion.
Iga Swiatek deserves her first women’s final at Wimbledon 2024. Will you be there to follow her campaign and cheer on her progress?
Wimbledon 2024 will be one of the most emotional of all, as Sir Andy Murray is likely to bow out in style.
Come and join us for the best of the action. Contact our friendly staff and secure some of the best seats in the house on historic Centre Court.
And please remember that a women’s final can be every bit as memorable as the men’s showpiece.
The drama of Madrid at the weekend will remind us of that delightful tennis reality for the rest of the summer.
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