Tennis fans have been left worried by the behaviour of Iga Swiatek after the world No.2 burst into unexplained tears just days before the start of the Australian Open.
After adding the Wimbledon crown to her growing collection last year with a devastating 6-0 6-0 finals triumph over Amanda Anisimova, Swiatek will enter the Australian Open with the chance to join the sport’s most exclusive club as a career grand slam winner.
But while world No.1 and two-time Open champion Aryna Sabalenka warmed up beautifully for the season’s first slam with a third straight Brisbane International title, second-ranked Swiatek was off the pace during Poland’s march to a maiden United Cup crown in Sydney.
The six-time major winner will enter the Open on the back of successive losses to Coco Gauff and Belinda Bencic and concerns over her fitness after leaving the court for treatment during Sunday night’s defeat.
Swiatek burst into tears on the first changeover during last Friday night’s win over Australian teenager Maya Joint.
The Polish star cried despite having just broken Joint’s serve for a 2-1 lead.
Iga Swiatek is pictured breaking down in tears after losing to Belinda Bencic in the United Cup
The world No.2 also burst into tears while beating Australia’s Maya Joint (pictured)
Swiatek’s behaviour has left her fans worried just days out from the Australian Open
That prompted an outpouring of concern from fans on social media.
‘I’m worried,’ one wrote.
‘I’m so stressed! I can’t even enjoy the match anymore,’ another added.
‘Seeing Iga cry after that isn’t just sports; it’s the pressure cooker blowing up. We built her up too high. The hype machine demands perfection, and reality checks sting,’ wrote a third.
Swiatek also broke down after losing to Bencic, throwing her racquet across the court and crying once more.
She gave no explanation for her emotional outburst in the victory over Joint other than insisting there are no injuries six days out from the Open, with fatigue behind her suffering a rare bagel in a 3-6 6-0 6-3 submission to Bencic.
‘Everything is fine. Just super sore,’ Swiatek said.
‘First tournament of the year, it causes the body (to feel) a bit different. Different than during the season.
Swiatek will be seeking her seventh major title at Melbourne Park
The 24-year-old has won every major title but the Australian Open crown has eluded her
‘But I had similar experience last year also, so I’ll just get good recovery, a couple of days off.
‘Also, these team events, I really love them, but they really take a lot of energy from you.
‘So I still need to figure out how to balance that maybe in the future because I get so excited on the bench. It’s almost like playing a match, honestly.
‘Yeah, it’s all good. I for sure physically wasn’t in the second set the best version of myself. Belinda really used it to push me.
‘For sure, I’ll try to get that covered for Australian Open and we’ll see.’
Pressed on her uncharacteristic capitulation against Bencic, the United Cup’s MVP after winning all five of her singles matches and four out of five mixed doubles encounters, Swiatek said: ‘I’m still here. Nothing crazy happened.
‘I think it was a mix of me losing the intensity and I wasn’t feeling so sharp with movements and with my legs.
‘I wasn’t so precise anymore, physically, I would say.
‘Belinda is a very aggressive player when she gets in the zone. She can really hit amazing shots, not miss a lot. I think it was a mix of that.
‘Also credit to her because she was pretty brave with taking the risk and everything.’
Yet to reach an Australian Open final and with a relatively modest 22-7 win-loss record at Melbourne Park, Swiatek isn’t reading too much into her latest two losses.
‘For sure these are good matches to analyse against really top players,’ she said.
‘Especially Belinda likes to play on fast surfaces. It was a good test.
‘We’re going to work now to improve some elements that didn’t work this week.
‘Still not a lot of time for that if I also want to have some recovery days. This is how tennis is. You’ve got to go with the flow. We’ll see.’
