"I FaceTimed my dad & my sister...they are the most important people in my life" - Iga Swiatek 'grateful' for family's support after Italian Open win

Iga Swiatek revealed that she called her father Tomasz and sister Agata on FaceTime following her win over Aryna Sabalenka in the women's singles final of the Italian Open. The World No. 1 registered a dominant 6-2, 6-3 victory against the Belarusian to win her third title in Rome.

The Italian Open marked the second successive WTA 1000 event where Swiatek and Sabalenka squared off in the final. Their last encounter came in the final of the Madrid Open, which was a much tighter affair. On that occasion, the Pole needed to save three match points before sealing the win, which yielded her maiden title in the Spanish capital.

Following her triumph in Rome, Swiatek sat down for an interview with Tennis Channel. During the interview, she told host Prakash Amritraj that after winning the final, she had FaceTimed her father and sister. The Pole also laid bare how she barely talks to anyone during tournaments, which makes it important for her to reach out to her loved ones once the events come to their conclusions.

"(I FaceTimed) my dad and my sister. So I did the same after Madrid. So, I am in a bubble and during the tournaments, I am not talking to anybody, very honestly. So, after the tournament I always catch up," Swiatek told Tennis Channel (1:00).

The World No. 1 went on to hail her father and sister as the two most important people in her life. She also admitted that FaceTiming them after her latest title triumph was a way for her to express her gratitude towards them for their unrelenting support.

"For sure, they are the most important people in my life, so I wanted to call and I wouldn't be here without my dad, so I'm grateful and I wanted to call them," Swiatek added.

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"I was against the wall financially" - Iga Swiatek's father Tomasz

Tomasz Swiatek (L) and Iga Swiatek (R) posing with the 2023 WTA Finals trophy

Earlier this year, Iga Swiatek's father's Tomasz revisited financially tough times for the family in an interview. According to Tomasz, things looked so bleak at one point of time that he was doubtful if he could support his daughter's dream of becoming a professional tennis player.

"There was a moment when I was against the wall financially. When I explained to Iga that there might come a time when we would have to stop training, I was convinced to try again," he said in March this year (via TVP Sport).

Iga Swiatek will next compete at the French Open where she is the two-time defending champion. The Pole has already won the clay Major thrice so far and is four titles away from equaling Chris Evert's all-time record for most tournament wins by a female singles player at Roland Garros.