Show notes
Six-time Grand Slam champion, Olympic bronze medalist and former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who spent 125 weeks at the top of the WTA rankings, joins Mikaela for a deeply personal conversation about carrying a nation's expectations and learning to let them go.
NOTE: this episode was recorded back in June of 2026, when Iga was ranked World No. 3 in the WTA singles rankings. She ended the 2026 season ranked No. 9.
The daughter of Olympic rower Tomasz Swiatek, Iga was steered toward an individual sport so she could build a future on her own terms. She learned professionalism from her older sister Agata (sometimes the hard way), soaked up Rafael Nadal's patience and topspin until they became her own, and won Roland Garros in 2020 as a 19-year-old ranked 54th in the world.
But beneath the clay court dominance lies a story of pressure and perspective. Iga walks through her three phases at world No. 1: proving she belonged, feeling the target on her back in 2023, and finally finding joy in 2024. She opens up about being a medal favorite at the Paris Olympics, the semifinal loss she calls the biggest drama of her career, and having to come back the very next day to play for bronze.
Her response? Accepting that the mental work is never finished. Iga shares how her traveling sports psychologist Daria taught her how to rest (and why a ukulele became the symbol of it), how she tells a technical slump from a mental block, and why she launched a foundation to give young Polish athletes the support and knowledge her family had to find on their own. The conversation spans cats, Grand Slam towels, a trophy that fell apart in her hands, and the daily discipline of not letting expectations carry you down.
Subscribe to What's the Point for more conversations on the why behind elite performance, and follow Mikaela's season, including her return to slalom at Killington, live or on demand on Peacock.
Follow Iga Swiatek to keep up with her season and the work of the Iga Swiatek Foundation (igaswiatek.com/scholarship-program). Follow Iga on Instagram: instagram.com/iga.swiatek.
If you want to learn more about Share Winter Foundation, check out https://sharewinterfoundation.org/mikgives. Last season, Share Winter helped put nearly 41,000 kids on snow through 70+ community programs across the country. Lessons, gear, lift tickets, transportation, the stuff that makes a first season possible. These aren’t one-time field trips. They’re multi-week programs where kids build confidence, find community, and fall in love with skiing and riding.
This episode is brought to you by AG1. For a limited time, visit drinkag1.com/mikaela and get a free Immune Support Bundle — including Omega-3 Fish Oil and Vitamin D3+K2 (an $111 value!) — with your first subscription of AG1 Pro or AG1 Next Gen.
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