Walking through the gates of the All England Club prompted a flood of flashbacks for Iga Swiatek, who 12 months ago was crowned a Junior Grand Slam champion after conquering Wimbledon.

Unseeded Swiatek defeated qualifier Leonie Kung in straight sets on Court No. 1 to seize the girls’ singles title and follow in the footsteps of fellow Polish juniors Alexandra Olsza and Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska in triumphing at Wimbledon.

Given her preference for and upbringing on clay courts, returning to SW19 as a grass-court victor felt alien, although the moment of glory still prompts the happiest of recollections.

“When I saw Court No. 1 again I had a lot of sentiment,” Swiatek, who is training at Wimbledon this week ahead of her appearance in the competition's main draw, told itftennis.com.

“I have nothing but positive memories, I don’t have any negative thoughts at all when I come back here. Winning here was a big thing for me and it’s still amazing.

“I felt like I was waiting for years to win a Grand Slam as I started playing Junior Grand Slams in 2016. Last year, I was preparing more for Roland Garros as my favourite surface is clay. It was wonderful, if a little surprising, that I won my first Grand Slam here.

“I knew that my team believed in me, I just had to believe in myself. I knew the moment was coming but I was a little surprised because I thought I would play better on clay. I remember the moment of victory being both overwhelming and amazing.”

Following her Wimbledon joy, Swiatek departed the junior ranks and made a blistering start to her professional career and tasted victory at $60,000 Budapest and $60,000 Montreux in September.

The 18-year-old made a brief return to the junior spotlight by winning doubles gold alongside Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, before navigating qualifying and reaching the second round at the Australian Open in January.

More recently, Swiatek made the final at Lugano in April and the fourth round at Roland Garros in June, while last week she reached the main draw at Birmingham – her maiden grass court tournament as a professional – after negotiating qualifying.

Swiatek, whose father was an Olympic rower who competed at the 1988 Games in Seoul, has surged into the Top 100 and currently occupies No. 63 in the women’s world rankings – way ahead of her expectations for this point of her development.

“I didn’t think I would be in the Top 100 at this stage so I’m really happy,” said Swiatek, who is still at school. “Everything on court changed since winning [Junior] Wimbledon. I have developed in every way, although I still have much to learn.

“I’m stronger mentally and I think that’s the biggest consequence of winning here last year and why I was winning at the beginning of my pro career. Victory was a big step.

“I didn’t really have any targets at the beginning of the season, except to play in the main draw of every Grand Slam – that was my main goal.

“I just wanted to gain experience and that is the goal for the rest of the year. Playing on hard courts, for instance, at a high level is still tough for me and I just want to gain that experience and be ready for next year.

“I do feel like a pro player, though. Going to meet some of my junior colleagues during the Australian Open was weird because I do feel I’m a pro. In that way, Junior Wimbledon feels longer than a year ago.”

Swiatek’s run at Roland Garros, which saw her overcome reigning Olympic champion Monica Puig in round three, was brought to an abrupt end in just 45 minutes by defending champion Simona Halep. She was trounced 6-1 6-0 by Halep and that setback has seemingly left an indelible mark on the teenager.

“That was really stressful for me,” added Swiatek. “I did not play my best tennis, but I know I learned a lot from it because that scoreline was amazing. Even though it was just 45 minutes, I will always remember that match.”

Swiatek was named among the first wave of wild cards announced for Wimbledon and is set to make her first main draw appearance at the tournament, which gets underway on Monday.

As she continued her preparations for the competition, Swiatek – a winner of five ITF titles during her fledgling career – is convinced her junior career will stand her in good stead and will ensure she will not be blinded by the Grand Slam light.

“I am really looking forward to it, although I’m still in the process of trying to get to know grass better,” she said.

“I’m still not that confident, which was the case last year, as playing against players who are so strong and fast is really hard. Right now, I don’t have any goals. I just want to feel as good as I can on the surface.

“But I have won a Junior Grand Slam and knew I wouldn’t be overwhelmed coming here for the first time [as a professional]. I’m happy that I had the opportunity to compete at Junior Grand Slams.

“Grand Slams are not new to me, I’m used to them and everything that goes with them. I will go into this tournament and others completely differently than if I hadn’t had that previous experience. I feel comfortable and ready.”