Iga Swiatek regrets that she never had the opportunity to compete against Serena Williams before the tennis legend retired this year.
Williams' final match of her career came against Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the US Open. She bid farewell to tennis during an emotional retirement ceremony at the Grand Slam, which she won six times.
Swiatek went on to win this year's US Open, overcoming Ons Jabeur in the final in straight sets. That day got even better for the 21-year-old when she was surprised with tiramisu during the post-match press conference.
Williams and Swiatek were recently nominated for awards. Swiatek is the favorite to win the WTA Player of the Year Award after an incredible season that saw her secure two Grand Slams and finish as the year-end No. 1, while Williams was nominated for the Comeback Player of the Year.
It would have been fascinating to watch Williams and Swiatek compete against each other in their primes. The Pole's movement is even better than Williams' was at her best, but the 23-time Grand Slam champion possessed more firepower.
Unfortunately, the pair never played against each other. In a recent talk, Swiatek admitted to being disappointed about that and chose her as the legend she would have liked to play the most, but also mentioned Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf.
"If I could face one of the legends of women's tennis on a court, it would be Serena Williams without a doubt. Unfortunately, I didn't have the honour of playing against her. We also all admire Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova, whom I met a year ago, they are great people."
Swiatek also discussed learning a lot during her highly successful 2022 season, including that she can play freely while being No. 1 in the world.
"During this year I learned many things about myself. The most important thing is that, regardless of the situation, I can find a solution that changes the course of the game. I can also drive the pressure of being number one: having all eyes on me and still playing freely."