Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek kept up one of Wimbledon’s sweetest traditions last weekend, dancing together at the Champions’ Ball even though they didn’t have to.
Both players were making their first appearance at the fancy post-tournament celebration. Swiatek had just demolished Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in what became the most lopsided Wimbledon final in over a century.
That’s right – the first time a Wimbledon final ended with that scoreline in 114 years.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | 24 | 15,405 | 33 - 3 |
Sinner had a much tougher time getting his hands on the men’s trophy. He needed four sets to beat Carlos Alcaraz, but once he found his rhythm, there was no stopping him.
For decades, the men’s and women’s champions have shared a traditional dance at the Champions’ Ball. But this year was different.
Tournament organizers told both players they could skip it since the evening was running pretty late. That’s when Swiatek stepped up.
She Insisted on the Dance
In a BBC Sport interview the next day, Sinner revealed how it all went down.
"We were there, and in the beginning they told us, since it was quite late, that we didn’t have to do it, but then Iga told me ‘No, no, let’s do it.’ I was like, ‘Okay.’ I mean, it’s tradition. Yeah, it was nice to make that happen, and it was nice to share this moment with Iga. It was a beautiful moment."
The decision was pretty surprising when you consider both players’ personalities. Sinner and Swiatek are known for being quite shy and introverted.
Swiatek has been open about struggling with eye contact as a teenager. She’s gotten much better at handling the spotlight over the years, but she’s still not someone who loves being the center of attention.
Maybe that’s exactly why organizers offered them an out. They probably figured these two quiet champions might appreciate avoiding the formal dance routine.
A Sweet Moment
But Swiatek wasn’t having any of that. She wanted to honor the tradition, and Sinner was happy to go along with it.
The dance itself was pretty adorable. Sinner looked genuinely happy – you could see him smiling and really enjoying the moment. Everyone in the room seemed to love their willingness to embrace the tradition.
It was a nice way to cap off what had been an incredible fortnight for both players.
Now they can finally take a breather before tennis gets crazy again. The Canadian Open starts in less than two weeks, kicking off the North American hard-court season.
This year’s tournament is getting a makeover too – more days and a bigger 96-player draw.
Making History
Swiatek’s Wimbledon victory pushed her into some pretty exclusive company. She’s now the third-highest earning female player in tennis history, trailing only Serena and Venus Williams.
Not bad for someone who’s just 24 years old.
The Controversy That Won’t Go Away
Of course, not everyone was celebrating their success. Both champions are dealing with fallout from recent doping cases that have split the tennis world.
Nick Kyrgios has been particularly vocal about his displeasure, especially with Sinner. He thinks having both players in the Wimbledon finals was bad for tennis.
The details of their cases are pretty different though. Sinner served a three-month ban after testing positive for clostebol at Indian Wells last year.
Swiatek got a one-month suspension for testing positive for trimetazidine in an out-of-competition test.
Many people thought Swiatek’s ban was way too harsh. She tested positive after a Polish manufacturer contaminated her melatonin tablets – something tons of players use legally to help with sleep.
There was literally no way she could have known about the contamination. It was just bad luck with a tainted supplement.
The tennis world is still pretty divided on how both cases were handled, but for one night at least, Sinner and Swiatek got to focus on celebrating their incredible achievements.
And thanks to Swiatek’s insistence on keeping tradition alive, we got to see a really sweet moment between two champions who’ve had to deal with way more drama than they probably bargained for.
