It's unbelievable what Iga Świątek's predecessor got for reaching the final
The tournament has been held on London's grass since 1877, and this year's edition is the 138th in history. Jędrzejowska reached the final in 1937, losing the deciding match to Englishwoman Dorothy Edith Round 2-6, 6-2, 5-7 on July 3rd. This achievement was long considered the greatest success in the history of Polish tennis.
For the London final, Jędrzejowska received a "runner-up" plaque and a voucher worth... £3.50. This was not the era of open tennis, and there were no prize money games.
The situation is completely different now. Reaching the Wimbledon final means the 24-year-old Raszyn native can expect a bonus of £1.52 million, or approximately PLN 7.5 million. That's almost three times more than Radwańska received 13 years ago.
1937 was the best year of Jędrzejowska's career. In addition to her success at Wimbledon, she also reached the final of the U.S. Championships. In the final at Forest Hills, she lost to the petite Chilean Anita Lizane 4-6, 2-6. She reached her third Grand Slam singles final two years later in Paris, losing to Frenchwoman Simone Mathieu 3-6, 6-8 (tie-breaks were not yet played at that time).
In 1935, she won the mixed doubles championship in Italy, and her partner was the famous Australian Harry Hopman, whose name was given to the unofficial world championship for mixed teams until recently.
Jędrzejowska received an offer to turn professional, to join the so-called Tilden Circus. She turned it down, dreaming of winning on Wimbledon. If she lost her amateur status, that would have been impossible.
World War II robbed her of that chance... For six years of occupation, she didn't pick up a racket, although first the Americans tried to help her leave the country, and in 1941, King Gustaf V of Sweden, her partner from the tennis courts on the Riviera, sent an invitation, but she declined.
The Germans also suggested a trip to the Reich. "It's a shame for such talent to go to waste," they argued, but she rejected this offer as well, firmly declaring that she was done with tennis.
She couldn't even train underground, as it would have been dangerous for her. When she first stepped onto the court after the war, she was gaunt and exhausted, barely able to stand. Previously, she had been known for her strong arm and powerful strokes. She played with the heaviest racket used by women.
In England and the USA she was called "Jed" or "Ja-ja", because her surname was too difficult for Anglo-Saxons to pronounce.
Americans noticed her not only for her athleticism and troublesome name, but also for her cheerful face and smile. After one tournament, the press wrote: "A young Polish girl had to come to show our tennis players that you can lose with a smile."
Before 1939, she was ranked among the top five tennis players in the world. Had it not been for the war, she would have achieved much more, but even afterward, she remained unrivaled in Poland. She won the Polish singles championship 22 times, first in 1929 and last in 1964. Twice (1936, 1937) she won the "Przegląd Sportowy" poll for Poland's best athlete.
For many years, she represented the Baildon Katowice club, although she was born in 1912 in Kraków, close to the local AZS courts. She died 68 years later in Katowice.
After Jędrzejowska, fans had to wait 75 years for a Polish tennis player to appear in the Wimbledon final. Agnieszka Radwańska achieved it on July 7, 2012. Although she lost to the then-world-class American Serena Williams 1-6, 7-5, 2-6, she considered the successful two weeks in London "the most wonderful of her career."
Agnieszka Radwańska equaled Jadwiga Jędrzejowska"These were the most wonderful two weeks of my career; I've been waiting and working hard for them my whole life. I think the Wimbledon final is every tennis player's dream. I'm happy, though of course a little disappointed with the loss, but it was my first Grand Slam final. Although I had a chance, victory was still a long way off. Serena played too well and deservedly won the tournament," said Radwańska, who thanks to this victory became the runner-up on the WTA Tour rankings.
However, the tennis player from Krakow later considered November 1, 2015, to be the best day of her life, when she won the season-ending Masters tournament in Singapore – the WTA Finals.
The Wimbledon final didn't start the way she expected because, as she admitted, she was nervous at the beginning.
"I think I wanted to win too much. But when Serena was serving a lot of aces in the first set and the end of the third, I couldn't do much. But I took advantage of my chance in the second set and got back into the match."
After the first set, the tennis players were interrupted by rain for several minutes and the game was interrupted.
"I think that break helped me a bit, allowed me to control my emotions a bit and calmed me down. When I stepped onto the court for the second time, I no longer thought I was playing in the final, but that it was just a regular match."
The first five games of the final belonged to Williams, with the first set ending 1-6. In the second, the Pole first recovered from a 1-3 deficit and in the final set broke the American's serve to lead 7-5. In the third set, she lost five games from 2-1.
"It was a Grand Slam final, so I fought until the end, never for a moment thinking about giving up. In tennis, even when the score is 0-6, 0-4, there's always a chance to win. You have to fight for every point. It's sport, so you can always start playing better, come back, and win," she explained.
Her performance at Wimbledon in 2012 was her best in a Grand Slam. She then reached the semifinals twice more in London in 2013 and 2015, and reached the semifinals at the Australian Open in Melbourne in 2014 and 2016.
After the final on the courts of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, she admitted that she felt the difference between the Grand Slam final and the decisive matches of even the biggest WTA events.
"You can feel the difference. More pressure, more nerves, and more at stake. It takes a while for it to subside and the emotions to subside. When you step out onto Centre Court, with all the action, you start to realize where you are and what you're playing for," noted Radwańska, who was also battling a runny nose and a cold in London at the time, which attacked her throat and left her speechless after the semifinal.
"I tried everything: garlic, honey, various sprays, but nothing helped. But when you get on the court, you kind of forget about it because of the adrenaline, even though it's obviously a real scratchy throat. However, it didn't hurt my forehand or backhand during the game. The wind and rain were more of a problem," added the Polish Wimbledon runner-up.
"Isia"—as she was affectionately known by family and friends—ended her career relatively early, in November 2018, at just under 30 years old. Earlier, in 2017, she married longtime sparring partner Dawid Celt. In 2020, their son, Jakub, was born.
She is, however, a regular at Wimbledon, participating—including this year—in the Tournament of Legends. For several months, she has been on tennis player Magda Linette's staff as a consultant.
Świątek's opponent in Saturday's final will be American Amanda Anisimova.
Source of information: Polish Press Agency
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