Iga Swiatek after her first-ever win at Wimbledon: "It was a typical grasscourt match, I was dominating on my serve"

Iga Swiatek had never won a match at Wimbledon before this year. But she put up a fine performance on Monday, coasting through what was supposed to be a difficult first-round match against two-time Wimbledon doubles title winner Hsieh Su-wei.

Swiatek produced four aces, landed 64% of her first serves and won 79% of her first-serve points in her 6-4, 6-4 win against a tricky opponent. And in her post-match press conference, the Pole credited her serve for her easier-than-expected victory.

"I am really happy my serve was working," Iga Swiatek said. "It was a typical grasscourt match. I was dominating on my serve. It gave me a lot of confidence. The serve is the kind of thing I can lean on when I have problems, no matter what kind of surface I am playing on. It was working today and I am happy about that."

Facing a player like Hsieh Su-wei in the first round is never easy; the Taiwanese is known for her variety of spins and slices, which are particularly effective on grass. And that is why Swiatek made it a point to keep up her intensity throughout the match.

"My coach prepared me pretty well," the 20-year-old said. "We used the best tactics possible for Su-wei Hsieh. I wanted to be powerful and strong and not let her use her tricky balls with spin. I wanted to stay aggressive."

My attitude changed from Eastbourne: Iga Swiatek

Hsieh Su-wei (L) and Iga Swiatek shake hands after their match

Iga Swiatek's arrival at SW19 took her back to the time when she won the junior singles title in 2018. But along with those fond memories, Swiatek was also reminded of the increased expectations on her shoulders.

That was a massive change from Eastbourne, where the young Pole could quietly go about her business without being the center of attention. Swiatek claimed she needed to adjust overnight to the change in the atmosphere at Wimbledon, but that she took it in her stride.

"My attitude changed from Eastbourne," the 2020 Roland Garros champion said. "It was nice and easy to play without expectations there but when I came here, everyone started talking about my junior Wimbledon win again. I realized that I needed to win some matches."

Iga Swiatek went on to acknowledge that she still has miles to go before she can master the tricky surface at Wimbledon. The World No. 9, who next faces the winner of the clash between Vera Zvonareva and Marie Bouzkova, plans to watch more of her peers' matches in a bid to improve.

"I need to watch some other matches, maybe not the finals, and see how it is when nothing is perfect, how other players overcome their problems," Swiatek signed off.