Pointless understatement No.1 of The Championships 2021: Iga Swiatek is a quick learner. Really, really quick. Let us explain… 

Three years ago, when she had just turned 17, Swiatek won the Wimbledon junior title. She beat Leonie Kung of Switzerland 6-4, 6-2. Well, we said at the time, those are two names to look out for in the future.

Fast forward to October last year. Swiatek was playing in her second full – if COVID-19 interrupted – season on the professional tour. She was ranked No.54 in the world. Kung was also in her second year on the professional circuit and was standing with one foot on the ITF Tour and one foot on the WTA Tour. She was ranked No.158. Kung lost in the second round of qualifying at Roland-Garros; Swiatek won the title. 

This is not to suggest that Kung is failing in any way – the transition from the lower rungs of the professional ladder to the main tour is difficult and it can take time. No, it is just that Swiatek has sprinted up the rankings and into the spotlight at a pace that makes Usain Bolt look like a dawdler. 

Roland-Garros was the first title the Pole had won (there is nothing like starting at the top). Coming back eight months later, it was also the first title she had had to defend. But was she worried? Not in the slightest. She had learned her lesson – and learned it quickly, naturally – at the Australian Open in February. 

Back then, she was coming into a major championship as a Grand Slam winner. All eyes were upon her and the expectations were almost too great to bear. She lost in the fourth round. No matter, she went on to win the Adelaide title at the end of that month and the Rome title on clay in May. That solved the problem: now she knew that she could win at every level and on more than one surface. From a standing start at the beginning of Roland-Garros last year, she had now won three titles in eight months and was the world No.9. 

By contrast, Dominic Thiem won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open last year and hasn’t been quite the same since. He openly admitted that he was struggling to come to terms with achieving his lifetime goal and that his concentration had evaporated. Then the injuries started to kick in and he had to withdraw from this year’s Wimbledon with a wrist problem. 

“We were in different positions because he was on tour for a longer time,” Swiatek said, ever the sensible voice in the conversation. “And last year was actually my second year on tour. In my case, I think it was all like more chaotic, because Dominic actually played some finals of Grand Slams before he won. For me, it was totally new experience and nobody was expecting that. 

“So for me the harder part was actually, you know, learning how to deal with business side of sport and, you know, dealing with all the new obligations that I have and new responsibilities. But as soon as I learned how to do that it was much, much better. That's why the first few weeks were really, really hard for me, and then it became easier, because I just had to learn how to deal with that, as any other thing. When something is new for you, you're not as confident as you would like to be. 

“So, yeah, for sure when I started the season, I felt like it's a little bit overwhelming for me, but then after the Australian Open and after Adelaide, I found my rhythm in all of that, so it was good.” 

Not only does she learn quickly, she makes the process sound ludicrously simple. That’s champions for you. But now she has the grass to contend with. And despite that junior title here, grass is still an unknown quantity to Swiatek. In 2018, the weather was hot and the courts were hard – the ball bounced high and that suited her better. She felt it was more like a clay court. 

Coming back the following year, the grass was slicker and her results were on the moderate side of ordinary: she played in Nottingham, Eastbourne and here and did not win a main draw match. This year, she beat Heather Watson in the first round at Eastbourne but was undone by Daria Kasatkina in her next match. It is not a great grass court record. 

Swiatek, though, seems untroubled by any of this. She has just turned 20 and time is on her side. She has proved to herself that her maiden Grand Slam win was not a fluke and she has learned how to deal with being a major winner. 

“After I won Roland-Garros, everybody started treating me differently,” she said. “My life changed totally. Finding a balance and really being able to enjoy the victory after such a chaotic time, it was really, really nice. 

“Actually, also, you know, coming back to the same shape [form] I had during Roland-Garros [last year] and winning two titles, that was amazing for me, because I'm still not sure if I'm going to be consistent for the rest of my career. This shows that I can actually perform well, not only once, but I can repeat it. So that's the most important thing for me.” 

After learning those life lessons so quickly, getting the hang of a grass court shouldn’t be too much of a problem.