Coco Gauff’s ex-coach, Brad Gilbert, has issued a concerning message regarding Iga Swiatek following her shocking exit from the Miami Open. Swiatek was defeated by her fellow Pole, Magda Linette, in the second round.
The match, played on Friday, March 19, started in Swiatek’s favor as she stormed through the first five games and comfortably took the opening set 6-1. However, Linette adjusted her strategy after being dominated early and came back to claim the next two sets 7-5, 6-3, handing the second seed a heartbreaking loss.
After that, Gilbert, who coached Gauff to her first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2023, shared his thoughts. He took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote:
“no matter how great you have been, you get tremendous equity from lots of wins. once you start losing a bit, especially earlier then normal, players come out with completely different attitude from the start of matches.”
This marks one of Iga Swiatek’s worst defeats in five years. It ended her remarkable streak of 73 consecutive opening-round victories on tour, a run that had stretched all the way back to the WTA Finals in 2021.
Iga Swiatek Admits Mental Struggles After Miami Open Heartbreak
Iga Swiatek appeared visibly disappointed in herself following her second-round loss to Magda Linette at the 2026 Miami Open. Speaking to reporters, she admitted she had been struggling mentally and feeling somewhat disconnected from tennis lately.
“”Tennis feels complicated in my head. I know it’s supposed to be simple. In terms of my mentality and how I feel on court, it’s going to take a while,” Swiatek said.
Despite these challenges, the Pole emphasized that she is determined to move forward, focusing on extracting positives from her practice sessions and working to regain her form.
“It just was a bad match for me unconsciously, or consciously, it’s hard for me to say. I need to work to get back from that, because I haven’t felt things like that for like five years. I’ll just get back to work, try to get something positive out of the practices and try to figure it out,” she added.
Swiatek’s next tournament will be the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, scheduled to take place from April 13 to 19, 2026.
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