Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek has spoken out in defence of her team after a series of disappointing results and nearly a year without winning a title. The world number two recently lost her Madrid Open crown in a heavy 6-1, 6-1 semi-final defeat to Coco Gauff, continuing a tough spell in her career.
In October, Swiatek ended her working relationship with long-time coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and brought in Belgian coach Wim Fissette. A month later, she was suspended for one month after testing positive for a banned substance, trimetazidine.
Despite her struggles since winning the French Open last year, Swiatek says she still sees the positives.
“Sometimes I’m not happy with how I play — that’s normal, especially because I’m a bit of a perfectionist. You can see it during matches,” she said in an interview with Polish media outlet SportoweFakty. “But when I step back and look at the season overall, reaching the quarter-finals or semi-finals is still a strong performance. I’m still one of the most consistent players this year.”
When asked whether her new coach was to blame for her lack of trophies, Swiatek was firm: “No, that’s not fair at all. People don’t see what we do every day. Results have been affected by other things too, including personal challenges. I’ve had to rethink how I see myself and my career.”
She also believes the standard of women’s tennis has risen: “The level is higher now. Players have learned how I play and have improved. Coco Gauff, for example, is more experienced now, and Aryna Sabalenka has started winning more titles too.”
Swiatek has worked with sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz for six years and was asked if she had considered ending that partnership.
“No,” she said. “Every year brings different challenges. When I was suspended, I didn’t even want to go on court for weeks. It was the hardest moment of my career. Daria has always been there for me and I trust her fully. I choose who’s in my team.”
Swiatek also addressed media claims about her mental health: “Headlines suggesting I’m falling apart or having a crisis really annoy me. Sure, I get frustrated sometimes or lose focus, but I work hard every day to improve. There’s no need for all this talk about burnout or breakdowns.”
