As a former player myself, I always feel like when you achieve goals, it's such a quick downtime to celebrate — you're always looking for the next thing. I'm sure as a young child your biggest dream was to win a Grand Slam. Now you're a multiple Grand Slam champion. So where do you find the balance — of being grateful and appreciative of everything you've achieved while still having the drive to continue for more? How do you manage not feeling like it's constantly 'what's next, what's next,' and really stop to smell the roses?
It's not easy, especially with the tour being long, and you constantly feel that every week you need to start from the beginning a little bit. So it's not like the week before will give you some advantage in the next tournament. Obviously you can be seeded, you can have a bye, but still the level of the game is so high that there are many surprises in the first round, so you need to always stay ready.
But finding time to celebrate and appreciate these good moments is crucial, because that's what gives us the biggest satisfaction… actually winning the tournament. So when you just walk through this experience and don't really feel it, it feels like you wasted a bit of the moment. So I always try to find time for that.
Right after the tournament it's pretty hard, because there are so many obligations. If you win a Grand Slam, for the next three days you're going to be constantly busy — so many PR things, interviews, photo shoots — that probably this downtime, where you actually have time to reflect and think about what you achieved, comes a bit later.
It also depends on the people around you. For example, last year after winning Wimbledon, my family was there, my friends were there, my whole team, and my management team from Poland that usually doesn't come to tournaments — it was like a 20-person celebration at the IMG house, and it was just great. So it also depends who you bring with yourself and how they can help you celebrate a little bit, and relax right after. Because for two weeks you've been in this regime, and suddenly you can relax and unwind, and it feels great.
Iga Świątek interview before the draw ceremony in Toronto ahead of the National Bank Open (July 31, 2026).
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