Iga Swiatek: I feel like a kid in kindergarten around Serena Williams

Women’s tennis world number one Iga Swiatek has said she feels like a “kid in kindergarten” when she’s around retiring 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.

Iga Swiatek is playing at the WTA 1000 Western & Southern Open as she prepares for the US Open, where she will enter as the favorite. The Polish tennis player will face Sloane Stephens in the second round in Cincinnati, while Serena Williams will play versus Emma Raducanu.

Iga Swiatek and Serena Williams have never met on court and the 21-year-old Pole revealed she had never met the American, who retired from the sport after the US Open.

“It’s always been hard for me to meet Serena’s eyes. It’s hard because there are always so many people around her, and I’m shy, and when I look at her, I forget that I’m number one”, admitted Iga Swiatek. “I feel like a kid in kindergarten when I look at her. I wish she was on the other side of the court,” she added.

If Schwiontek wins the tournament at the WTA 1000 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, she will become the first player since Williams in 2013 to win seven titles before the US Open. She has 49 wins and 6 losses in 2022.