The famed plastic building blocks aren’t just a distraction, though. They’re a tool, Iga says.

“I like the process so much as it helps me to calm, focus on here and now [and] just be in the moment when I need it,” Swiatek told Forbes prior to the US Open.

She added: “On the other hand, I’m always curious about the final result, and I enjoy the final work a lot.”

3. She’s a national hero

Having skyrocketed to world No.1 in 2022, Swiatek has become a hero in her home country of Poland, where she’s a household name and serves as an inspiration for many.

In 2023, she was voted Poland’s Sports Personality of the Year. Her list of “firsts” for the country in tennis is long, including the first singles player to claim a Grand Slam (Roland Garros 2020) or win an Olympic medal (bronze at Paris 2024).

RELATED: Redemption for Swiatek, Poland’s first Olympic tennis medallist

“I feel like in my country I make people proud,” she told Players’ Tribune last year. “And that I’ve changed something [there].”

4. She’s a Rafa stan – just like any of us

As many players reach the top, they shy away from talking about the legends that inspired them as kids. Not Iga.

“He was the only player I watched,” Swiatek said at this week’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals of her all-time hero, Rafael Nadal.

RAFAEL NADAL: King of Clay and tennis giant, waves goodbye

“Rafa has had a huge impact on me, on how I see tennis and my career as well. But I am going to miss him on the court.”

Having briefly practised with Nadal at French Opens past, Swiatek realised a “once-in-a-lifetime” moment when the two were paired together for an exhibition match ahead of the 2022 US Open.

MORE: Retiring Rafa’s slice of AO history stands tall

“I wouldn’t even imagine as a kid, like, playing next to him and being in the same team,” she said then.

5. She always has her eye on levelling up

From her junior Grand Slam wins to catapulting to world No.1, Swiatek has always eyed the next level of the sport.

Last Australian summer, she arrived Down Under with a completely new service motion. “We changed the whole movement before the shot, basically,” she shared.

The change proved fruitful: Swiatek (through her 68 completed matches as of this publishing) bumped her service hold rate from 80.4 per cent in 2023 to 82.6 in 2024, while also improving on her first serve percentage (65.5 to 66.1 per cent) as well as break points saved (51.1 to 66.1 per cent).