Iga Swiatek, who won the 2020 French Open title as a 19-year-old, is the latest tennis player to feature in a column.
Swiatek talked about how Tom Hanks movie The Terminal made her cry, and why she is not afraid to show emotion on the court, after reaching the Australian Open semi-finals.
I cried and showed a lot of emotion when I won my past two matches.
When I walked to my chair at the end of the fourth-round match, I was very emotional and started crying.
When I beat Kaia Kanepi, I threw my racquet in the air and screamed. That was not planned. I don't do things like that very often.
The match was three hours and one minute and the match point, where I was stretching for every return from way behind the baseline, was crazy.
The matches cost me a lot of energy and there was a lot of stress during them. It was like my body said: "Finally!" when I won.
I can cry when I win and I can cry when I lose.
Some people think it's not good to show emotions, but I think that's not true. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't, but you have to understand what is needed in the moment.
I showed some emotion against Kaia, but I wouldn't say it was more than others. I think it helped me turn the match around.
It's good to let go sometimes. Whatever you do, scream, cry, or whatever. You can feel better after that.
I think it is ok to show emotion. Being honest with the fans and the people is part of it. It would cost me a lot to keep my emotions inside if I were to give everything in a match.
I am not saying that you should cry or shout a lot. It is about finding your way and doing the best thing for you as an individual.
It is good to know what is good for you and what will help you. Everyone should have their own way of approaching this.
Sometimes I cry when I have so many emotions. It doesn't matter if it is a positive or negative reason.
I have a sports psychologist who works with me and I travel on tour.
Daria helps me channel my emotions in the right way so that I can execute my shots and improve my performance.
I was proud of myself for coming back from losing the first set and then winning the match against Sorana and Kaia.
I reset after losing a first set in both of the matches. Being proud of myself was my main emotion, but I was also relieved.
I don't think a week without crying is a week. I can be emotional away from the tennis court.
Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones are in a movie called The Terminal. I am not sure if anyone would cry at that movie. I cried twice.
The janitor at the airport stopped the plane from taking off because he cried. I was wondering why the hell am I crying.
I cry when I watch a movie where an animal dies. I cry when I finish a book.
I cried for 30 minutes after reading Gone With The Wind and it was the day before the US Open.
My psychologist was watching me to see if I would finish the book on time. If I was upset before the match it would be bad.
She told me to finish the book on the evening before, and I cried. I was still wondering if it would affect my performance the next day.
When I am not emotional, there are some moments in life when I am stressed out.
I want to show that it doesn't have to be a weakness in the sports world when I need to release emotion on court.
Jonathan Jurejko was talking to Iga Swiatek.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
