Iga Swiatek is a player likely not used to losing.
That is what has likely made the last year or so particularly difficult for her to take.
Her Wimbledon and Cincinnati Open titles aside, the past two years have been remarkably unspectacular for the former world number one, who at one point was the most feared player on the WTA Tour by a considerable margin.
Nowadays, it really feels like that aura has dissipated, and instead Iga Swiatek feels like a scalp for players like Alexandra Eala to feel confident of defeating.
This lack of familiarity with losing so frequently was bound to have an adverse effect on the Polish superstar. However, her recent words about her opponent following her exit from Wimbledon have perhaps come across as bitter, particularly given how longstanding her issues have now been.
What did Iga Swiatek say about Alex Eala’s serve after their match at Wimbledon?
Chatting with the press after her Wimbledon defeat, Swiatek spoke about Eala’s serve and the slowness of her play.
She claimed, rather unprompted: “I think it was tougher mentally for me to accept these missed returns from the slow serves. I’ve got to say it’s much tougher to return a serve like that than a normal serve.
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“I know it was slow. I know exactly how it’s going to come to me. It’s such a different rhythm than what I usually have a chance to return.
“Then, yeah, I felt like she was serving slower and slower, and it became tougher and tougher for me to return these serves. That, for me, was hard to accept, yeah.”
These comments almost came across as complaints about her opponent’s game, citing a lack of opposition power as a genuine reason why she might have lost the match.
Perhaps Swiatek might consider looking inwards upon reflection, and she will soon realise that there are far bigger problems with her own game that need sorting before she can start critiquing others.
Iga Swiatek needs to worry about her own game first
Martina Navratilova was quick to point out Swiatek’s biggest problems after yesterday’s defeat, citing her emotional instability and misfiring forehand as the two key areas of concern.
These were evident throughout that loss, as she regularly put herself in strong positions during points only to inexplicably miss the final killer ball, whether it be a simple put away from the back of the court or a drive volley when approaching the net.
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So often, in these crucial moments, the ball flew long when she had the court at her mercy.
The match statistics are indicative of how Swiatek lost this match all on her own. She hit just 32 winners but sprayed 44 unforced errors. Eala, meanwhile, hit far fewer winners (24), but also even fewer unforced errors (21).
The Swiatek of three years ago would have never let such a match slip away from her. She needs to recapture that ruthless and laser-focused mentality of old to truly become a threat again, rather than focusing on what her opponents did to unsettle her. That’s their job!
