Iga Swiatek suffered a shock defeat in the opening round of the Miami Open, losing to her compatriot Magda Linette in three sets in the second round on Thursday. It marked the World No. 3’s first opening-round loss in five years, as the six-time Grand Slam champion gave away a one-set advantage.
Swiatek attended the post-match press conference, offering an unfiltered reaction to her loss.
“I haven’t felt like this in probably over five years. Dropping this much in matches. I’ll just have to try to get my confidence back,” Swiatek said.
Furthermore, the Pole called it the “worst nightmare” for a top tennis player, as she realizes the expectations she carries on her shoulders while entering any tournament on the WTA circuit.
“I feel like I carry a lot of expectations when I’m on the court, and I need to get rid of them because my game has not been good enough to have any expectations. I’m a bit confused, but I’ll just work hard to get it back,” Swiatek said.
“I know I have it in me, I just lost it for a second. This is the worst nightmare a top tennis player can have. Dropping in matches in a level like this. I need to live through this and figure it out,” she added.
Iga Swiatek Says Her Game Collapsed Due to Over-Thinking
Swiatek had an unbiased justification for the collapse in the R2 match against Linette, despite dominating the first set. The Pole admitted that she is an overthinker, and once she loses control of the match, it becomes difficult for the four-time Roland Garros champion to adapt.
“It was just a bad match from me in the 2nd and 3rd sets. For sure, it’s tough to handle that when I know I played well in 1st. I just, idk, unconsciously or consciously, it’s hard for me to change things & then my tennis kinda collapses,” Swiatek said.
“I’ve always been an over-thinker, but lately it’s just been so intense. It’s hard for me to get rid of many of the thoughts I have, and this used to be my strength. I honestly played my best when I didn’t think much,” she added.
“Now I make so many bad decisions that it’s hard not to think about them. The stress comes in, the body gets so tense, and things get much harder,” the Pole concluded.
Swiatek will now aim to regroup and start afresh in the clay-court swing, with her next tournament confirmed as the WTA 500 Stuttgart Open, which starts on April 13.
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