Iga Swiatek was defeated by Elena Rybakina on Wednesday, ending her hopes of completing the ‘Career Grand Slam.’
Rybakina’s game-plan worked to perfection, as she ruthlessly took charge of baseline exchanges and capitalised on any pressure the Polish star was feeling.
The Kazakhstani star eventually won the contest 7-5, 6-1, securing a semi-final contest against Jessica Pegula, who had defeated Amanda Anisimova earlier on Wednesday.
Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff – two of tennis’ biggest stars – will be absent from the semi-finals. Gauff, the reigning French Open champion, produced a ‘shocking’ performance in her loss to Elina Svitolina on Tuesday.
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After the contest, Gauff was caught on camera smashing her racket in the backrooms of the Rod Laver Arena, prompting the American to call for more privacy.
Iga Swiatek offered her thoughts on the incident after losing to Rybakina.
Iga Swiatek agrees with Coco Gauff after racket smashing incident
It was certainly an unsavoury sight to see Gauff laying waste to her racket at the Australian Open. However, one must question the need for television cameras to be present in such an area of the stadium.
This sentiment was echoed by Iga Swiatek on Tuesday, who called for more privacy for players.
“Yeah, the question is, are we tennis players, or are we, like, animals in the zoo where they are observed even when they poop, you know?” Swiatek [pictured below] said during her post-match press conference.
“Okay, that was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy. It would be nice also to, I don’t know, have your own process and not always be, like, observed. Like, for example, I don’t know, in other sports you have some maybe technical things that you want to do, and you have — I don’t know, honestly.”
Swiatek went on to compare the Australian Open to other Grand Slam events, noting the lack of private practice courts in Melbourne.
The tournament has also been subject to increased levels of attendance compared to previous years, resulting in long queues and subsequent large fan attendance at practices.
“I don’t follow other sports that much, but I guess it would be nice to have some space where you can do that without the whole world watching,” Swiatek said.
“At Wimbledon there are courts like Aorangi, like people with accreditation can get there, but it’s without the fans. At Roland Garros there’s Jean-Bouin.
“There are some spaces that you can at least go when you need to, but there are some tournaments where it’s impossible and you are constantly observed, if not by the fans who can just buy some ground passes and go to your practice, then by the cameras.
“For sure it’s not simple. I don’t think it should be like that, because we’re tennis players. We’re meant to be watched on the court, you know, and in the press.
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“That’s our job. It’s not our job, like, be a meme when you forget your accreditation. Oh, it’s funny, yeah, for sure. People have something to talk about, but for us I don’t think it’s necessary.”
When asked if she had ever talked to Australian Open organisers about the issue, Swiatek said: “What’s the point?”
Swiatek’s Australian Open woes continue
The Australian Open has become somewhat of a bogey tournament for Iga Swiatek.
The Polish star has never reached the final in Melbourne, making three semi-final appearances in eight attempts.
One possible reason for Swiatek’s struggles in Australia could be the pace of the court. Swiatek plays with more topspin than many of her peers and has historically enjoyed playing on courts that allow for more time between shots.
The Australian Open was recently described as having the fastest courts on Tour. Therefore, Swiatek may be struggling with the pace of the court in Melbourne.
However, this claim was recently contrasted by Alexander Bublik’s comments. The Kazakh star claimed that the Australian Open had some of the slowest hard-courts on the Tour alongside Indian Wells.
