By Michael Davey
Iga Świątek admits she “surprised herself” by defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 to secure her maiden Ladies’ Singles title at Wimbledon.
The ‘double bagel’ scoreline was the first showpiece blowout at SW19 since 1911, and it has only happened on one other occasion in a Grand Slam final during the Open Era – at the 1988 French Open, when Steffi Graf topped Natasha Zvereva.
Ruthless Świątek makes history
Świątek was ruthlessly clinical in dispatching Anisimova on Centre Court, taking only 57 minutes to get the job done.
“It seems super surreal,” the Pole admitted afterwards.
“First of all, I want to congratulate Amanda for an amazing two weeks no matter what happened. I hope we’re going to play many more finals here and at other tournaments.
“I didn’t even dream [about winning Wimbledon] because it was way too far. I feel like I’m already an experienced player after winning the slams before, but I never really expected this one.”
Having already won five Grand Slams – four at Roland Garros and one at the US Open – Świątek had set her sights on becoming the first Polish woman to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish in the Open Era, and she duly delivered.
“I feel like tennis keeps surprising me, and I keep surprising myself,” Świątek explained.
“I’m really happy with the whole process, how it looked like from the first day we stepped on a grass court.
“I feel like we did everything for it to go in that direction without expecting it, just working really hard. It means a lot, and it gives me a lot of experience. I don’t even know. I’m just happy.”
The eighth-seed also highlighted her relief at coming good on grass after years struggling on the surface, saying: “I think the fact that it’s on grass, for sure it makes it more special, I would say, and more unexpected.
“So for sure, it feels like the emotions are bigger because on Roland Garros I know I can play well, and I know I can show it every year. Here, I wasn’t sure of that. I also needed to prove that to myself.
“I worked really hard to win all the other slams, so there’s no point in choosing between them. But this one and the US Open for sure feel better because no one expected that.
“It wasn’t a relief. It was more of just good tennis and working to make it happen, without this baggage on your shoulders.”
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Outclassed Anisimova vows return
In stark contrast to the perfection of Świątek, Anisimova had a nightmare match, tallying 28 unforced errors and five double faults.
The American was, however, full of praise for her triumphant opponent, saying: “Iga, you’re such an incredible player, obviously showed. You’ve been such an inspiration to me, an unbelievable athlete. Congratulations to you and your team.
“Thank you to everyone who’s supported me since my first-round match here. It’s been an incredible fortnight for me even though I ran out of gas, and I wish I could have put on a better performance for you.”
Anisimova also confessed that her performance suffered greatly due to nerves.
“It’s not how I would have wanted my first Grand Slam final to go,” she said.
“I think I was a little bit in shock after, as well. But I told myself, I’ll definitely come out stronger after this. I mean, that’s not an easy thing to go through, losing 0-0 in a Grand Slam final.
“If anything, I can look at it as a positive and something I can look at as motivation going forward. Obviously there are a lot of things I need to do to progress.”
Regardless, the 13th-seed vowed to focus on the positives and keep pushing herself as she hunts for a first Grand Slam title.
“I feel like the last two weeks, if anything, I’ve learned you’re never going to be perfect, and every match is different,” Anisimova explained.
“I think that I sensed myself getting down on myself. When I look at certain players like Jannik [Sinner] or Carlos [Alcaraz], who I look up to a lot, they don’t make easy mistakes and don’t give almost anything to their opponents.
“In a sense, I was looking at certain things from that perspective, but then I also reminded myself, nobody’s perfect. I was trying to go into today thinking that, ‘Okay, I’ll accept the mistakes I make’. Maybe that wasn’t the right way of going into it.
“My fighting spirit has gotten me to the final today. It wasn’t me playing perfect in a way. There were matches where I struggled and I wasn’t playing to my full potential.
“I think me just staying focused and fighting my way through certain moments and focusing and also lifting myself up and trying not to get negative on myself was the most important thing.”
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