World No. 1 Iga Swiatek says Serena Wiliams is “such a legend” and revealed she was “pretty overwhelmed” after seeing the American on the grounds of Wimbledon.
After spending 12 months sidelined, Williams made her long-awaited comeback in Eastbourne, where she reached the doubles semifinal with Ons Jabeur.
Now, Williams is set to make her singles return as she faces Harmony Tan in the Wimbledon first round.
“When I saw her (on Friday), I was pretty overwhelmed. I didn’t know how to react perfectly. It was pretty weird. So I came back to myself (a) few years earlier, when I was too shy to say ‘hi’ to anybody for a second. But I feel that just seeing her around is great because she’s such a legend. There’s nobody that has done so much in tennis,” Swiatek said, per Sportskeeda.
Swiatek on being picked to open play on the Centre Court
On Tuesday, Swiatek will face Croatia’s Jana Fett in the opening match on the Centre Court.
Defending Wimbledon champion Ashleigh Barty retired this past March so the tournament organizers were forced to find a replacement.
Reportedly, it was a battle between Swiatek and 2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep.
“I know that there have been some discussions about who should open and I feel really privileged that Iāve been chosen. Itās a great thing for me. I feel privileged and proud of myself mostly. Hopefully itās going to be a good show,” she said.
Swiatek, 21, has been pro for four years now and she is happy with how her career has been progressing so far.
“Still, four years – itās not like a lot of time. But that was probably the most important time in my career in terms of developing and finding my game and learning how to do new stuff on court. It seems like a different world, honestly. A lot has happened since then. I’m happy that I was able to reach every stage of the journey and not stop at any of it,” Swiatek said.