French Open champ Iga Swiatek urges Ukraine to 'stay strong' during Roland-Garros trophy ceremony

Meredith Cash
Updated ·2 min read
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Iga Swiatek.
Iga Swiatek kisses the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup after winning the 2022 French Open.AP Photo/Christophe Ena

  • World No. 1 Iga Swiatek bested American Coco Gauff in straight sets to win the 2022 French Open.

  • The Polish superstar told Ukraine to "stay strong" during her trophy ceremony acceptance speech.

  • She earned a standing ovation from the Roland-Garros crowd at Philippe-Chatrier for her words.

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is your 2022 French Open champion.

The Polish superstar — who has now won 35 straight matches — took down American rising star Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3 Saturday to lift the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup for the second time in her career. And upon accepting the Grand Slam trophy during the subsequent ceremony, Swiatek offered a statement of support to the Roland-Garros crowd.

"I wanted to, at the end, say something to Ukraine," Swiatek said to fans at Court Philippe-Chatrier. "Stay strong, because the war is still there."

Iga Swiatek addresses the crowd at Roland-Garros.
Swiatek addresses the crowd at Roland-Garros.Robert Prange/Getty Images

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause and gave the two-time Grand Slam champion a standing ovation for her words. Swiatek wore a blue-and-yellow ribbon pinned to her hat throughout the tournament — including during her victory speech — in honor of Ukraine's flag.

The 21-year-old star added that she continually "was hoping that when I'm gonna do the next [tournament] the situation [in Ukraine] is gonna get better, but I'm still gonna have hopes and try to support."

Later, Swiatek explained to NBC Sports' Maria Taylor that she was motivated to speak out against Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine because she's seen attention on the topic wane considerably.

"I feel like at the beginning, the news [was] really everywhere," Swiatek said. "And right now, they've kind of cooled down. But the war is still there and people are still suffering."

She added that while the people of her home country of Poland "for sure" feel the effects of the war, "Ukraine feels it much, much more."

Swiatek hoists her trophy at Roland-Garros.
Swiatek poses with her trophy at Roland-Garros while wearing a blue-and-yellow ribbon for Ukraine pinned to her hat.Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

"I want to show my support and make people aware of that because also many players have took off the ribbons and there's been huge discussion about the next tournaments and points," she added, referring to Wimbledon's controversial ban of Russian and Belarusian players. "But I feel like people are forgetting that there are people suffering. It's not only about points, but it's about the whole situation there. So I just want people to be aware of that."

Check out the interview below:

Read the original article on Insider