
Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek has weighed in on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s differing approaches to the sport. The world No.3 is fresh off the sixth Grand Slam win of her career after cruising to victory over Amanda Anisimova at the All England Club.
Swiatek remarkably only dropped one set on her way to claiming her first Wimbledon title and has attributed part of her success to her hard-working mindset.
Fellow Wimbledon champ Sinner can relate after declaring that “hard work beats talent” following his victory at SW19. However, Swiatek has confessed to taking inspiration from Alcaraz’s more laid-back approach and commitment to enjoying his time away from the tennis court.
“I wish I was more like Carlos because I have got to say he is a big inspiration in terms of that,” Swiatek told TVA Sports. “He always says that the most important thing for him on a tennis court is to enjoy it and have fun and I sometimes forget about that.
“And sometimes with all the pressure around and things we need to do off the court, you need to remind yourself about this kid that started playing tennis, instead of winning for somebody and having this baggage on your shoulders.
“For sure, when Carlos shows that and when he speaks about that, it is always a good reminder for me, and I try to do that as well, but without me working on it, I think my mind would automatically go to just working, working, working.”
Alcaraz notably embarked on a short trip to Ibiza in June after defeating Sinner in their unforgettable French Open final.
While other top players would not consider taking a holiday at such a crucial time in the tennis calendar, it had been Alcaraz’s preparation ahead of his two previous Wimbledon wins.This year, he won Queen’s upon his return and reached the Wimbledon final.
Sinner adopts a more focused approach than his rival. When asked about the secret behind his success after claiming his fourth Grand Slam title, Sinner said: “I always say that hard work beats talent. And that’s what I try to do.
“I always go on a practice court with a purpose, and I believe that the mindset you start to build in practice sessions, when you struggle, when you have pain, when you at times don’t want to practice, but you still go and you still do everything possible to make it a good day. If you cannot do it in practice sessions, then you cannot do it in the real matches.”
Meanwhile, Swiatek is focused on extending her success at the Canadian Open as she prepares to face Guo Hanyu in the second round on Wednesday. The 24-year-old has had time to reflect on her Wimbledon win and how it compares to her previous triumphs.
“For sure, winning Wimbledon is something special. I think it was much different because I just haven’t expected it,” Swiatek said. “I didn’t feel the relief as I did at Roland Garros because everyone was expecting me to win.
“I just felt super proud of myself. I thought that tennis can still surprise me and it was all so refreshing.
That’s why I’m super happy because it wasn’t on my list this year to win Wimbledon and it happened. So I really enjoyed this feeling and try to keep it for as long as possible with me.”