World No.1 Iga Swiatek was stopped from watching a second Taylor Swift concert before bidding to start a new era at Wimbledon.
The French Open champion has not played a grasscourt tournament since winning her fifth Grand Slam title in Paris.
She pulled out of Berlin to come to the UK early – and took a trip to Anfield for the American singer’s The Eras tour. Swift left Swiatek in tears after receiving a handwritten note from the pop megastar.
Clutching a handwritten note from Swift, Swiatek captioned a picture of herself visibly emotional: “Yes, I cried many times during the show. Yes, it was incredible. You are amazing @taylorswift13.’”
And she added at Wimbledon on Saturday: “I was in Liverpool to see Taylor. It was amazing. I actually was thinking about going here for the second time. My team would was like: ‘Okay…’
“Basically after this concert, like three days after I was so excited I couldn’t sleep and everything. We decided it’s better to focus on the tournament.
“But it was a great experience. Two years ago I went to Adele after my match. In Hyde Park. I think if I’m going to lose early, then I’ll have more time to go there!”
The Pole is unstoppable on clay but her best performance at the grasscourt Grand Slam was reaching the quarter-finals last year. She is still the favourite in a women’s singles which has seen six different winners in the last six events.
“It’s hard for me to be considered as an underdog I think anywhere now,” said Swiatek, 23. “I feel great. I had time also to practice in a solid way and not rush it. I feel for sure excited.
“I feel like it’s a really tricky tournament. It’s not like you can kind of build up your shape and then, I don’t know, peak at Wimbledon. There aren’t so many tournaments on grass.
“Sometimes this tournament looks a little bit different. Players that are also sometimes underdogs can win it, I feel. The chance is bigger. On the other hand sometimes it was a similar case on clay, as well.
“It’s hard to say. I don’t know. I think you really have to approach this tournament little bit differently mentally because usually players on women’s side, I guess they are making little bit more mistakes than on other surfaces because the ball is low and it’s pretty fast and it’s tricky.
“I guess it comes down more to the mental side, I would say, how you’re going to be able to adjust to this surface. The player that does it better is going to win.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk