Polish tennis superstar, Iga Świątek, was born on May 31, 2001 in Warsaw.
Because her birthday coincides with the French Open Grand Slam tournament dates - like (almost) every year since 2016, Świątek celebrated in Paris, in the course of the tournament. The French capital is undoubtedly a place of many positive memories for Iga - as Roland Garros is where she won four of her five Grand Slam titles.
"The first birthday I celebrated in Paris - my 15th - is definitely something I remember fondly. I played in a junior tournament back then and it was an incredible experience. But each subsequent birthday was also special in its own way, because I spent it in different hotels, and with different people"
- Świątek recalled in an interview for Poland's state news agency PAP two years ago.
Ironically, Iga won her first French Open title not in May but in autumn - because she claimed it in 2020, when the tournament was not held on its traditional dates due to the pandemic.
The current season is already the seventh in Świątek's senior career. Asked by PAP whether she notices any negative effects of the passing time, the Polish star admitted that this year she noticed them for the first time ever - and they are related to... many successes she achieved.
"This season I started to feel the difference. We return to the same places every season - and although I am still young, it is already a bit blurry to me what happened in which year. In the first part of the season, everywhere I was, I already won in the past. Because of this, it is hard for me to return to these places with a clean slate, and without expectations. Even if my triumph somewhere was a few years ago, in a totally different time - I still remember that I can win, and that brings elevated expectations"
- summed up Iga Świątek, speaking for PAP.
The Polish star, now WTA 5th, will continue her fight for another success on Sunday, when she will play in the 1/8 finals against Jelena Rybakina from Kazakhstan, seeded 12th. This year Świątek is eyeing her fourth consecutive French Open title - which would also be her fifth overall triumph at Roland Garros.
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Source: PAP, IAR