Iga Swiatek opened up about being a victim of self-imposed pressure. The WTA star began her 2025 season with a dominant-looking campaign at the United Cup. However, the challenge against Team USA in the finals was too tough for her as Coco Gauff clinched a 6-4, 6-4 win.
The second half of the 2024 season was also disastrous for Swiatek. She shed tears backstage after losing her chances at the Paris Olympics. This was followed by almost a month-long break which later found strings attached to doping allegations.
Swiatek recently made a special appearance at the Tennis Insider Club, a podcast featuring exclusive interviews with top-ranked tennis players alongside the host and two-time doubles grand slam champion Caroline Garcia.
Amid multiple conversations about her struggles in 2024, the Pole mentioned how she sees herself as the culprit for the intense mental pressure.
“I think I was the one that put so much pressure on myself. Um I remember getting my first, like, patch sponsor, um, and a big, big deal, you know, and, um, it was so much pressure for me, at, during my first matches, because I was like, oh my god, I have this, this sponsor now, they, they want me to succeed,” she said.
World No. 2 elaborated on the moment of emotional outburst, making it clear that it took a heavy toll on her.
“I cried for like a day because I thought like I disappointed them, you know, why did they invest like so much money in me if I’m losing?” she questioned herself.
This came in regard to her collaboration with the $1.59 Billion brand On. Swiatek became the first female player sponsored by the Swiss apparel and footwear manufacturing brand. Co-owned by Roger Federer, the brand has been consistently rising in terms of numbers ever since the Pole and the likes of Holger Rune joined them.
While facing criticism from fans over limited designs and variations was one aspect the brand encountered, this one seems to be quite bigger than the last one.
Iga Swiatek talks about the time when she almost took a step back
Iga Swiatek is looking forward to testing her levels at the Australian Open 2025. She didn’t show any signs of weakness despite a disappointing straight-set loss to Coco Gauff at the United Cup 2025. However, amid conversations, she once revealed how the guts to face top-ranked rivals didn’t just come easy for her.
Remembering her first appearance at the Australian swing, the Pole mentioned how it made her reconsider making a shift from ITF to the WTA tour events.
I remember the first tournament I played in Auckland. I literally told my coach: “I don’t belong here”. Let’s go back to ITFs. But then I went to (…) the second round (of the Australian Open) and the fourth round of Roland Garros… Everybody has doubts… Even if somebody says that they were confident from the beginning, I guess that’s not really 100% true… It went pretty quickly, honestly. I went through every stage really fast,” she said.
Iga Swiatek has already arrived in Melbourne for her much-anticipated campaign at the Australian Open 2025. As she looks forward to compensating for her early exit from the previous year, it still remains to be seen how things turn out to be.
Leave a Reply