Iga Swiatek's assertion that she is a perfectionist prompted a very fiddly moment with reporters after her French Open win.
Swiatek was simply unstoppable during the fortnight as she reigned supreme in Paris for the fourth time in her career. In the championship match, she defeated first-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1.
The Pole faced just one almighty scare in the first week, needing to save a match point in the second round against Naomi Osaka. After snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, Swiatek did not relinquish another set and lost a combined 17 games.
In her post-match press conference after the final, Swiatek clarified what she meant by referring to the success as an "emotional" in her winner's speech. She explained that she felt enormous stress in the days before the final and that she was dealing with a lot of outside pressure.
"When I talk about pressure, I usually put pressure on myself because of pressure of the outside. Obviously I'm a perfectionist, so there is always pressure, like, behind me. But I think I'm fine with, like, handling my own pressure. It's when the pressure from the outside hits me, then it's a little bit worse. But I managed it really well at this tournament."
"It was an emotional win, because I felt, you know, a lot of stress yesterday and today in the morning. And I knew if I'm going to just focus on tennis I can kind of fight through it, and at the end it all went how I wanted. So I just felt really proud of myself."
Swiatek was relieved to get the job done in the end and opined that she always strives for perfection, not just on a tennis court but also outside it. When asked to list examples of places or moments away from tennis where she wants to stay perfect, the 23-year-old preferred to remain discreet.
"We're not on therapy, so sorry."
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