Is Iga Świątek the New Queen of Clay?

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Iga Świątek, is having a very good spring.

Last weekend, she completed the "dirt double"—winning the Madrid Open and the Rome Open back-to-back, becoming the first player to do so since Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal both did it in 2013. In both finals, she defeated world no. 2 Aryna Sabalenka. "Who is going to say that women's tennis is boring now?" Świątek joked after her Madrid win, a dig at those fans who have complained about the lack of stars and rivalries since Williams's retirement in 2022.

The two clay court tournaments are key precursors to the French Open, and these wins set her up for a strong run at the upcoming Roland Garros. Her continued dominance on the surface positions Świątek as perhaps the most likely successor to Nadal—something fans and analysts have noticed. Just this week, Tennis.com's Steve Tignor remarked that for two decades, the spring clay court season was synonymous with Nadal, but now Świątek is taking his place. Further, tennis commentator Todd Woodbridge said, "Iga is becoming the women's version of Rafa on a clay court." Świątek has long spoken about her admiration for Nadal, nicknamed the "King of Clay," and it's clear her clay-court wins have her poised to follow in his path.

"I always look forward to playing in Paris because it's my favorite tournament of the year," Świątek tells Town & Country over e-mail. "I feel good. I just won in Madrid and in Rome. I appreciate my life a lot. I'll take it day by day, focusing on myself, and let's see."

Świątek, now 22, went professional in 2019, and catapulted to fame just a year later, when she won the French Open without dropping a set. She broke many records in doing so, and made history, becoming the first player from Poland (male or female) to win a Grand Slam singles title. Since, she's won the French Open two more times, the U.S. Open once, went on a 37 match winning streak, and has been ranked world no. 1 for a total of 103 of the last 107 weeks—and counting.

She's gearing up for a busy summer of tennis, with the Paris Olympics slotting into the calendar in addition to three Grand Slams (the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open). But the quiet Polish player isn't0 thinking about the Olympics, which will be played on her beloved clay courts at Roland Garros, quite yet. "I'm taking it day by day, step by step," she says. "Always focusing on my next task. And definitely I will prepare with my team for this challenge as well."

Ahead of the upcoming high stakes run of major events, her biggest sponsor, On, a Swiss sportswear brand, debuted a short film about her, directed by filmmaker J.M. Harper:

In the video, Świątek candidly speaks about the pressures she faces as world no. 1, and the expectations her homeland has for her. In one vulnerable moment, she speaks about feeling the "weight of Poland" on her shoulders.

To represent Poland is "a great responsibility, and I feel it," she says, adding, "I sometimes feel overwhelmed by this 'weight of Poland' on my shoulders because I know people have many expectations and they are used to me winning almost everything. I appreciate them supporting me and I’m trying to show them my perspective, too. My perspective on being just a human being, like themselves. Having ups and downs."

She continues, "I am asked a lot of questions on social matters, people are keen to know my opinion on almost everything. I try to find balance in being a public figure, but first of all, I'm an athlete. This is my job, and I focus on that."

Last year, Świątek became the first female tennis player to be represented by On, signing a "head-to-toe" deal (a.k.a. she will exclusively wear their apparel and sneakers). The company then sponsored Ben Shelton, who became the first male player. "Iga and Ben represent the next generation of world-class talent," Roger Federer, an investor in the company, said in a statement in 2023. "Both players demonstrate On's competitive spirit and embody current and future champions of the sport." Two years earlier, Federer worked with the Swiss brand to develop the brand's first tennis shoe ("The Roger Pro"), and just yesterday, On dropped its fifth collaboration with Loewe.

It seems as Świątek's star grows, so does On's. In fact, during Zendaya's whirlwind press tour for Challengers, she wore a number of On outfits, including a custom tennis dress inspired by trailblazing tennis player Althea Gibson. Świątek even met Zendaya: The actress attended the Indian Wells women's championship with her boyfriend Tom Holland, and watched Świątek easily win in the finals. The two connected after the match, an occasion that the Polish tennis star recalls fondly.

"It was an honor to meet such a talented actress and a kind person. I really enjoyed our conversation," Świątek says. "I like to meet people like her who work hard, who are such professionals at a very high, global level and exchange our thoughts on dealing with our work." She adds, "I'm glad that Zendaya, who is a role model for millions of people all over the world, engaged in projects that can promote tennis and make it more popular because this is something particularly important to me. When she watches women's tennis matches at the venue like in Indian Wells, it creates a huge interest around it and it can bring more people to tennis."

Świątek adds that she hasn't seen seen Challengers yet, however. "I haven't had time because I have basically played every week since the premiere!"

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