by PrimeNewsDesk
Everywhere Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek goes, a sea of red and white follows. Here in Melbourne, IgaNation waves their flags and scarves loudly and proudly and chants “Jazda Iga” (“Let’s go, Iga!”).
Mother-son duo Janina and Patrick Jonczyk traveled from their home in Adelaide – an eight-hour drive from Melbourne – to support their favorite champion. They, along with hundreds of others, proudly wore the Polish colors of red and white at Margaret Court Arena as the world No. 2 took on Anna Kalinskaya in the third round of the Australian Open.
Like so many others, they appreciate Iga’s strong work ethic and the fact that she is open and “tells it like it is.” When you talk to Janina and Patrick, you can feel their Polish pride – after all, she is one of Poland’s greatest living athletes, a proven superstar who has legions of fans from around the world. Among her many achievements, which her compatriots are proud of, is the fact that she is the first Polish player to reach world No. 1, the first Polish player to win an Olympic medal in tennis, and also has the longest winning streak of the 21st century (37 matches in 2022, which took her to No. 1).
Later at the press conference, I asked Iga if the fans had helped her in any way. She replied that they would definitely increase her energy, but any kind of coaching like “Serve another ace!” distracts – here she is again and says it directly. Naturally, she is excited to support her in the next round against Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis and said to the audience after her match: “Guys, hopefully you won’t be so hard on me when I play Australia, but there are a lot of Polish flags here, so yeah, please make it even.”
Janina and Patrick are hoping for a game during the day so they can cheer them on before they have to go home. A night game may just mean postponing their trip to another day. Either way, with this sea of red and white behind her, Swiatek will have no shortage of energy as she continues to push toward the one major that’s still missing from her collection.