8 interesting facts about Iga Swiatek

• Iga Swiatek won her first Grand Slam when she was only 19
• Her father introduced her to tennis when she was barely 14
• She loves rock music

Which interesting facts do you know about Iga Swiatek besides winning her first Grand Slam when she was only 19?

Born in Warsaw, Poland, in 2001, she stunned the tennis world after winning the 2020 French Open when she was unseeded. Together with 19-year-old British teen Emma Raducanu, who won the 2021 US Open at 18, Swiatek has a special place in tennis history.

She owes her father for introducing tennis to her when she was only 14 years. Five years later, she won a major slam, and her fire keeps burning, as evident in the 2022 season.

Her whole life is a wonder, and SportsLeo presents you with these interesting facts about Iga Swiatek.

Iga Swiatek Miami Open. Photo/Getty Images

SHE ATTENDS MATCHES WITH HER PSYCHOLOGIST PRESENT

Daria Abramowicz, a sports psychologist, travels with Iga Swiatek to all her competitions alongside her coach Piotr Sierzputowski.

Abramowicz is a constant member of the coaching staff. The fact that a psychologist is present is not a coincidence. When she was younger, she frequently battled her emotions on the court, exploding after a poor play and losing control of the game.

She says that her psychologist is a huge help to her because she makes sure that she’s prepared for the match psychologically. A perfect example is her match against Simona Halep in Paris which made her win over her.

Abramowicz helps her keep her emotions in check.

ROCK MUSIC IS WHAT SHE ENJOYS

Not an old-school radio hit parade, but among interesting facts about Iga Swiatek is a playlist featuring Pearl Jam, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

It also has Pink Floyd, Santana, Coldplay, and AC/DC! How does she get so enamoured with classic rock? She says coaches listened to that music they travelled to tournaments, and it stuck with her.

That’s how she started loving it. Older music always fascinates her, and she feels its value every time. She feels this music is less artificial, elicits stronger feelings, and more spirit.

SHE WAS AN ATHLETE WITH LEGIA WARSAW

If you ever spot Swiatek at a Legia Warsaw football game, it isn’t by accident but rather by plan. She competed in tennis for that club for a while, working out on its training courts.

RAFAEL NADAL’S BIG FAN

When the Pole visited Rafael Nadal’s tennis academy in Mallorca, Spain, he reportedly expressed his immense excitement.

She wrote in her regularly scheduled piece for the BBC how she visited Rafa’s academy in Majorca and saw all his trophies in the museum. The trophies she saw when she visited Real Madrid’s stadium were spectacular, Nadal’s carried the day.

SHE OWNS A HAWAIIAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

The world No.1 owns a ukulele, a Hawaiian-style stringed guitar. It’s undeniably among the interesting facts about Iga Swiatek.

Since she was a young child, the Pole was an emotional player on the court and frequently lost herself. Her sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz came in and gifted her the ukulele to take charge of her emotions.

HER FAMILY HAS OLYMPIC HISTORY

Swiatek comes from an extremely athletic family. Tomasz Swiatek, her father, competed in university rowing and won gold in the quadruple sculls at the 1987 World University Games in Zagreb.

Tomasz later went on to compete for Poland at the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988. He finished seventh overall after winning the quadruple sculls B final.

The Polish government has awarded both the father and the daughter with decorations in recognition of their achievements in Polish sport.

Iga Swiatek. Photo/USOpen Org

SHE IS A MOVIE LOVER

Her all-time series is ‘Mad Men’. This series captures the early days of American advertising in an interesting way while maintaining a cool retro vibe because it is set in the 1960s.

It’s crucial to her because she is able to learn something new from the Series. The fact that it features numerous mechanics and concepts makes it revolutionary.

A LOVER OF HISTORY

She likes historical fiction. Ildefonso Falcones’ Cathedral of the Sea is a book she really loves. Swiatek also reads Ken Follett’s historical works, but she admitted that they are quite thick.

When she needs something more manageable, she turns to Dan Brown or some mystery fiction.