Iga Swiatek now reaping benefits of putting studies ahead of pursuing tennis career after...

[ASFN Admin]

If there is a lesson from Iga Swiatek’s phenomenal French Open, which culminated on Saturday in a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, it is that a more rounded person often turns out to be a better tennis player as well. All over the world – and especially in Britain – ambitious parents assume that their talented little shotmaker would benefit from total absorption in the game. Yet Swiatek chose to prioritise her schooling, only switching her full attention to tennis once she had completed the equivalent of A-levels this summer. “When she was starting to build her ranking as a 16-year-old, I asked her if she wanted to go full time on the tour,” said Nick Brown, the British mentor who guided Swiatek to the junior Wimbledon title two years ago. “She said, ‘No, I’m staying at school.’ It was non-negotiable. And I thought ‘Good for her.’ “She was saying ‘If it takes a little longer to break through, I believe I can do that,’” Brown added. “She wasn’t in a hurry. It’s a good lesson for younger players.” The Swiatek theory – if we may call it that – also applies to another 19-year-old who has caught the eye over the past fortnight. In Wednesday’s quarter-finals, Jannik Sinner became Rafael Nadal’s 98th victim at Roland Garros, but not before his massive groundstrokes had caused genuine anxiety on the far side of the net.

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