Iga Swiatek is slowly but surely becoming a Roland Garros legend after lifting her fourth trophy at the event on Saturday.
The Polish player won her first Roland Garros as a teenager a few years during the COVID-19 hit season when it was played much later in the schedule after the US Open. That was a surprise run that nobody saw coming but it was only a preview of what was to come some years later.
She became the best player in the world two years after that and went on to win several more trophies, including one this year. Her French Open triumph this year was her fourth at the event, which is already quite high on the list of players with the most trophies at the season's only clay-court Grand Slam.
She's already higher than Serena Williams, who won three, tied with Justine Henin with four, and trailing the legendary Chris Evert, who has 7. Being only 23 means that she'll have plenty more chances to win it in the future, so hitting the legendary seventh trophy doesn't seem unthinkable.
She was asked whether she had a target number in mind after the final match on Saturday and admitted that she didn't, because even this is more than she ever hoped to achieve.
"No, no. I already achieved much more than I ever expected and ever set my goals to. I’m just doing everything step by step and enjoying every match and every title. My goal is to be a better player. And I feel like I’m a better player than last year. I’m proud of that."
Don't mistake her humbleness for a lack of ambition. Swiatek will certainly aim to win as many as possible. That's just how she's wired, even though she's quite soft-spoken in real life. Her famous bagel factory doesn't lie, after all.
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