Chwalińska, who played ten matches at Roland Garros from 18 May, lost the final to Russia's Mirra Andreeva 3–6, 2–6 on Saturday, but said she had no regrets.
"Hard work and patience paid off," she told a press conference in Warsaw on Monday.
"It all just came together at the right moment."
Dozens of fans greeted her at Warsaw Chopin Airport – a reception she admitted caught her off guard.
"Being in Paris, I could not feel the scale of what was happening back in Poland. This is a new reality for me, but I think I will adapt," she said.
The 24-year-old tennis player also had not known the flight bringing her back from Paris had been given the callsign "LOTMAJA" in her honour, finding out only when friends sent her screenshots.
"There were so many fans at the airport. That was a bit of a shock," she added.
Chwalińska said the magnitude of what she had achieved still had not fully sunk in during the tournament itself.
"I focused on each match one at a time. I was up against the best players in the world and had to play my best tennis to beat them," she said.
"The emotions have not settled yet. I need a little time to digest it all."
Her run to the final of the French Open has transformed her ranking, jumping from 114th to 21st in the WTA standings.
She had never previously broken into the top 100.
She also credited the support of fellow Polish player Iga Świątek during the tournament.
Chwalińska was visibly moved to learn that a mural of her had been unveiled in Dąbrowa Górnicza, the city where she grew up.
"That really touched me, because that is where I spent the most time on court during my career," she said, thanking the artist behind it.
A mural depicting Maja Chwalińska on the dilapidated tennis courts on Tysiąclecia Street in Dąbrowa Górnicza. It was here that the French Open runner-up took her first steps in tennis. Photo: PAP/Łukasz Gągulski
She is now awaiting a potential wildcard entry for Wimbledon, which she acknowledged would be a significant help.
For the immediate future, though, her plans are more modest: "I would really like to get a good night's sleep and eat well. I am planning a complete rest by the sea."
(ał)
Source: PAP, IAR