Iga Swiatek explains why she refused to give away a game in ruthless 6-0 6-0 Wimbledon win

Ruthless Iga Swiatek has explained why she showed no mercy for Amanda Anisimova after a 6-0 6-0 demolition job in Saturday's championship match. The No. 8 seed needed 57 minutes to seal the first double-bagel victory in a women's final here since 1911, and the only one in the Open Era.

After being cheered on by a famous friend in Courteney Cox, whom she embraced in the stands after sealing victory, the six-time Major winner explained why she refused to give away a game in her statement performance in the final.

"Do you really want to Wimbledon, you know? Like, if you do, then you're not gonna give any point for free," Swiatek said, still completing media commitments more than four hours after she lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish.

"I saw many matches where, and I lost also some matches, I don't know, leading 5-2 or something, and then suddenly the momentum changes. I think on grass it can change completely.

"Trust me, if you're winning 6-0 5-0 and you will lose two games, you get tight, so you can't let that happen. You really need to be focused and this is what tennis is about, using every opportunity and especially with a player like Amanda, I know she can play great on grass and she beat Aryna.

"I haven't watched that match but I assume that she played great and if she's able to do that, she can also repeat that. So I can't let that happen. If I have an opportunity to win my point, I will do this."

As for whether she felt any "mercy" for 23-year-old Anisimova, who was playing in her first Major final, Swiatek added: "I would say I felt sometimes a bit of a kind of this 'mercy' feeling that you describe [in the past], but not today because it was a Grand Slam final, there was too much at stake."

The former world No. 1 still showed some concern for her opponent, and it was clear that Anisimova was feeling a combination of nerves and fatigue. But as a multi-Grand Slam champion, Swiatek knew she had to remain focused.

She explained: "At the beginning, I saw that she was tense. And for sure, me being on the other side, I wanted to focus on myself and not let that get into my head, because it can be kind of distracting.

"You can start taking things for granted or expect that she's going to make mistakes or something, but you really need to be in your own process and in your own zone. So that's what I did. But yeah, for sure, I can only imagine what she felt in the match because it wasn't easy.

"I mean, playing a Grand Slam final is a lot of pressure. And she also must have felt a bit more fatigued after the semi-final. I had more time to rest a little bit. I mean, I had the time on the court, it's not easy. And I was a bit worried, but I've got to say, I wanted to win so bad that I kind of just did my job and that's it."

Swiatek showed no signs of stress and anxiety on Centre Court in her first Wimbledon final. But, had she known that Courteney Cox was watching and supporting from the stands, things could have been different.

A self-confessed big fan of Friends, Swiatek explained how their unlikely friendship came about. "My sponsor On, they surprised me with an event in Paris and she was part of it. I didn't know before, so it was kind of fun and they know I love Friends," she said.

"So that's how we got in touch. And yeah, she loves tennis. She always posts about it and she plays pretty well, so it was kind of funny. But I didn't know she's going to come here.

"We're in touch, but I'm glad that she didn't text me because when I know that someone famous is going to watch me, I get stressed. So I'd rather be happy about that after."

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