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My goal is to win all the Grand Slams, Olympic medal: French Open champion Iga Świątek

11.10.2020 20:30
Poland’s French Open champion Iga Świątek said on Sunday that her goal as a tennis player was to win all the Grand Slam tournaments and add an Olympic medal to her tally.
Polands Iga Świątek poses with her trophy on the rooftop of the Galerie Lafayette department store with the Eiffel Tower in the background one day after winning against Sofia Kenin of the United States in the womens final match during the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 11 October 2020.
Poland's Iga Świątek poses with her trophy on the rooftop of the Galerie Lafayette department store with the Eiffel Tower in the background one day after winning against Sofia Kenin of the United States in the women’s final match during the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 11 October 2020. Photo: EPA/IAN LANGSDON

The rising Polish tennis star spoke to reporters in Paris a day after she stunned Sofia Kenin of the United States to win the French Open women's singles championship for the first time.

Poland's Iga Swiatek poses with her trophy on the rooftop of the Galerie Lafayette department store with the Eiffel Tower in the background one day after winning against Sofia Kenin of the United States in the women’s final match during the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 11 October 2020. Photo: EPA/IAN LANGSDON Poland's Iga Swiątek poses with her French Open trophy in Paris on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020. Photo: EPA/IAN LANGSDON

The unseeded Polish teenager on Saturday overpowered the fourth-seeded 21-year-old Russian-born American 6-4, 6-1 in their championship match to earn her maiden Grand Slam title and become the first Pole to lift a Grand Slam singles trophy.

The 19-year-old did not drop a set on her way to the championship.

“Certainly my goal for my entire career is to win all the Grand Slams and earn an Olympic medal, though for now I’m not thinking about that at all,” she said at a news conference on Sunday, as quoted by Poland’s PAP news agency.

'The whole country was behind me'

Świątek also told reporters that she appreciated “all the great support” she received from fans in her native Poland during the tournament in the French capital, the Polish state news agency reported.

“Even though I wasn't on my phone and I wasn't answering every person, I know that the whole country was behind me and they all believed in me," she said as she posed with her trophy on the rooftop of the Galerie Lafayette department store in Paris on Sunday.

She went into the French Open ranked world No. 54 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), but is set to climb to No. 17 when the rankings are updated on Monday.

(gs)

Source: PAP