World No. 1 and US Open champion Iga Swiatek speaks to CNN about the World No. 1’s success. He says she knows the difference between “the winner and the loser”
Iga Swiatek on being a finalist in the U.S. Open at Indian Wells:
On her own success at Indian Wells: “It felt like a relief. My best friend and [my] boyfriend got married. It made me so happy that they can really be that happy together.
On her “dreamy-sadness”: “That’s how I know that I won. It’s not something that I ever thought I would do, so I knew that I had to work hard so that I can reach where I started.
“I was a little confused, but I knew that it was going to be difficult because I made mistakes. At the beginning, I didn’t think I was going to be able to continue playing with the American girl because my technique is not good, my forehand is not good and [my] spin is not good.
“It was a tough year for me because it was one of those years where I thought that it was going to be one of those periods where I wouldn’t be able to continue playing at the highest level. But I knew that I had to continue and do my best.
On her “dreamy-sadness”: “That’s how I know that I won. It’s not something that I ever thought I would do, so I knew that I had to work hard so that I can reach where I started.
“I was a little confused, but I knew that it was going to be difficult because I made mistakes. At the beginning, I didn’t think I was going to be able to continue playing with the American girl because my technique is not good, my forehand is not good and my spin is not good.
“It was a tough year for me because it was one of those years where I thought that it was going to be one of those periods where I wouldn’t be able to continue playing at the highest level. But I knew that I had to continue and do my best.”
On how the loss at the US Open and the US Open semifinals affected her career trajectory: “It was a big surprise. But I was trying to focus on the present. It wasn’t going to be easy. I