By: Harris L. Cohen Iga Swiatek dominated the Wimbledon final beating Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0. This feat had not been accomplished since 1911. Swiatek was gracious in her on-court victory interview after the match. She congratulated Anisimova in a sentence during her interview. However, her opportunity to make sportsmanship history had already passed.
After the most dominant and devastating victory in over a century, Swiatek had the opportunity to perhaps win the sportsmanship of the century title.
Traditionally, after a tennis match ends, the players meet at center court and shake hands. They then proceed to the elevated umpire chair and each shake the umpire's hand. Then the key distinguishing actions take place. The loser walks to her bench and gathers her equipment, while the winner walks, or runs, back out on the Court, raising her hand and racquet in a series of victory motions of whatever kind. This is both to celebrate the victory and to thank the fans for their support.
Uniquely, this is when the opportunity to break the mold, become the sportsmanship GOAT, and to make history both arose and escaped. Nothing was expected of her, other than to go through the motions and to run onto the Court and celebrate her Wimbledon victory. And that is what she did.
But, she could have recognized that her 6-0 6-0 victory was already in stone. What was not in stone, was how she could elevate Anisimova, and the sport, after Anisimova suffered the most devastating tennis loss in a century and in her career. What Swiatek could have done, was to walk over to Anisimova and take her by the hand and lead her onto the Court so the fans could cheer both of the participants who had survived challenges from the entire Wimbledon field and made it to the finals. A feat in and of itself. She could have left Anisimova with the feeling of being appreciated by the fans for making it to the finals and for sharing the global stage with her, despite Swiatek having just convincingly beaten her. Swiatek could have shown compassion, where none was owed and historically none is shown.
Had Swiatek done this, it would not have caused any sportswriter or fan to forget that Swiatek had just won by the greatest margin possible or that her win was a once in a century event. But, it would have elevated her stature inside and outside tennis as perhaps the greatest Wimbledon champion of all time. It would have been on a day when notwithstanding Swiatek's epic victory, she won the sportsmanship of the century award for her humanity, kindness and recognition that perhaps helping Anisimova after her 6-0 6-0 loss on the world stage, was a greater act than the win itself.