Iga Swiatek suffered her worst loss of the season earlier this week, exiting the Miami Open in her opening-round match.
Facing fellow Polish player, Magda Linette, few gave her a chance against her far superior compatriot.
However, 2026 has not been kind to the former world number one, and the disappointment continued with this shock loss.
Swiatek admitted she was confused immediately after the defeat, unsure how to stop the rut. It seems that confusion has now turned into sadness, if her latest interview is anything to go by.
Iga Swiatek makes honest admission after loss in Miami
Speaking to the Polish media in her native tongue, she cut an emotional figure as she made a stark statement.
However, it was a brutally honest assessment of her current struggles, stating: “I feel like I have expectations of myself that I can’t fulfil. I need to let go of them.”
Do you think Iga Swiatek will win a Grand Slam this season?
This paved the way for her most crushing line of the conversation: “I’m not good enough to have any expectations.”
She added: “Everybody knows I have a game to win tournaments. I just haven’t been showing that.
“I’m kind of facing things that I never faced because I never felt things that intensely on court. I mean, I did, but I was much younger, and it felt like a normal process. Now it doesn’t.”
This is a player who has won six Grand Slam titles and has been world number one for 125 weeks. It’s really disappointing to now see her so at odds with her own tennis philosophy.
Iga Swiatek needs to hire a new coach
Whether it be instead of or as well as Wim Fissette, Swiatek needs a change in her coaching department.
After all, it’s clear that her current team are not getting the best out of her, and we know what her best looks like.
She was once a dominant and relentless force on the WTA Tour, who forced her opponents into submission with her suffocating heavy topspin game.
Now, it is just too easy to beat her, which is not something that was ever said about Iga Swiatek two or three years ago.
She needs a new coach to make her stubborn once again and remind her of who she is. It will not take a great technical overhaul, but something definitely has to change.
