Wonderful, this calm! Iga Swiatek learned to appreciate Bad Homburg after just a few days. Nice city, nice weather, great grass pitches, praised the best tennis player in the world. “Here I find peace and time for myself,” said the Pole in an interview with the FAZ. But nobody should think that Swiatek is here to stroll through the spa gardens in every free minute or to enjoy the alleged champagne air.
The 22-year-old has a mission: she wants to do better than in previous years at the classic grass lawn in Wimbledon, which begins next Monday, when at best she reached the round of 16. Bad Homburg serves as a first-class stopover for her. “I do my best to spend every possible hour on the court and concentrate on training,” said Swiatek. One could also describe the motto of the world number ones as follows: service is service and a spa is a spa.
After all, the time on grass is limited. The season lasts only five weeks, for Iga Swiatek it is even shorter. Because she triumphed for the third time at the French Open two weeks ago, she only starts the grass season in Bad Homburg. “If you play well in Roland Garros, you have less time to play on grass,” Swiatek describes the curse of her success in Paris to the FAZ.
Thomas Klemm, Bad Homburg Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 7 Pirmin Clossé, Thomas Klemm, David Lindenfeld Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 4 Pirmin Clossé Published/Updated: Recommendations: 7
Her first opponent in Bad Homburg this Monday (6:00 p.m. on Eurosport) will be Germany’s Tatjana Maria, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year and whose style of play, especially on grass, is uncomfortable for any opponent. “I’m taking the match to get more experience,” said Swiatek. In Wimbledon it’s over with the calm.