Iga Swiatek cut an emotional figure after narrowly avoiding defeat at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Swiatek won 6-1, 2-6, 6-3, despite hitting nine double faults throughout the contest.
The Polish star, a winner of six major titles, cried on court after securing the first-round victory.
Who will win the women’s Wimbledon title this year?
Vote now!
“I’m not sure if I’m able to talk that much – it was a tough couple of weeks. Not a season where everything went how I wanted,” the 25-year-old said during her post-match speech.
“I don’t think I won any three-set matches this year, so I’m happy I could do it here.”
Andy Roddick has since reacted to Swiatek’s tears.
Andy Roddick reflects on Iga Swiatek’s emotional state after beating Taylor Townsend
“You know what you’ll never, ever be able to say about Iga Swiatek. It’s that she doesn’t care,” Roddick said on the Served podcast.
“If anything it’s that she cares too much. You need to be able to level set every once in a while.
“It’s a pretty great thing that she won six Grand Slams, she won this last year, she won 0 and 0 in the final, and yet she gets through and it still has that depth of emotion.”
“It was shocking because she has accomplished so much and seen so much.
“We view it as ‘you got another win’, she views it as the most important thing ever almost every time she goes out on the court.”
It is great to witness a player who is not afraid to show her emotions on a tennis court; allowing fans to understand just how much this sport means to her.
Świątek cares about her play, cares about her performances, and cares about her results.
For this, she should be praised.
Iga Swiatek could be in trouble
Swiatek’s Wimbledon campaign could come to an end earlier than expected.
In the next round, she will play Karolina Pliskova – the former world number one and 2021 Wimbledon finalist.
Despite being ranked outside of the top 70, Pliskova remains one of the best grass-court players on the WTA Tour.
With that being said, Swiatek has never lost to the Czech player.
| Tournament | Winner | Score |
| 2021 Italian Open | Swiatek | 6-0, 6-0 |
| 2023 Stuttgart Open | Swiatek | 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2023 Canadian Open | Swiatek | 7-6, 6-2 |
Swiatek has won all three of their previous matches, the last being at the 2023 Canadian Open.
However, times have most certainly changed since then. Swiatek is not the dominant force she once was, and Pliskova has re-emerged as a threat to any top player on grass courts.
Regardless of the result, Swiatek and Pliskova’s match should be a high-quality affair – one for every neutral tennis fans to enjoy.
