Swiatek's chance to join the greats at Wimbledon

After years of struggles at Wimbledon, Iga Swiatek says the tennis balls are at last talking to her on the grass. If so, they are obeying her commands and may well be telling the Pole she's about to make the step into greatness.

Having finally discovered the confidence to move, play and strike brilliantly on the surface just as she's done on the hard and clay courts as a five-time grand slam champ, Swiatek can become an all-court master when she begins Saturday's 131st Ladies' final against Amanda Anisimova at Wimbledon as warm favourite.

It's not that American Anisimova is playing poorly; indeed, the 23-year-old is striking the ball perhaps better than anyone in the tournament, having struck 164 winners with her backhand ticking over beautifully.

It's just that the 24-year-old Swiatek is beginning to resemble the dominant figure who was ruling the roost so impressively as world No.1 for 125 weeks before Aryna Sabalenka took over.

Swiatek hasn't won a tournament for over a year since the 2024 French Open, but as the sun's come out at SW19 just as it did when she won the junior title here seven years ago, Swiatek seems to have discovered the secret to relaxing and using her magnificent footwork to finally enjoy playing on the grass.

She's not sure how it's happened - even if her revelation that she's been enjoying the Polish treat of strawberries and pasta has had everyone at Wimbledon speculating about the dish's magical powers - but certainly losing her French Open title eased the pressure on her coming into the event.

History beckons her, though. If she wins, she'll be the first Polish player in 148 years to win Wimbledon, and she'll be the youngest player since Serena Williams in 2002, and the only woman in the game today, to have won a grand slam on all three surfaces.

Not that she's making any grand predictions. "I'm not this kind of person that sets these kinds of goals. I live tournament-by-tournament. It's not like I wake up and I'm like, 'OK, I'm going to win three Grand Slams this year' because that's not how I work," she says.

"I have more down-to-earth goals, practising day-by-day. This is what has always been working."

And she knows Anisimova, who took a break from the sport in 2023 to prioritise her mental health, is back and firing after not even being able to make it to Wimbledon last year as she got knocked out in the qualifiers up the road in Roehampton.

"A lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game," revealed Anisimova, who's proved the doubters wrong.

"Just me being able to prove you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself has been incredibly special to me."