Iga Swiatek Admits to Feeling “Super Sore” After Her United Cup Campaign
Iga Swiatek and Poland claim their first United Cup after finishing as runners-up in 2024 and 2025.
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Iga Swiatek (Image via Punto de Break)
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Iga Swiatek played her role in ensuring that Poland clinched its maiden United Cup on Sunday (January 11) after finishing as runners-up on two occasions. The former World No.1 produced some excellent performances in the tournament but surprisingly failed to win her last two singles matches.
Swiatek kicked off the 2026 United Cup with an impressive comeback win against Germany’s Eva Lys in the group stage match, with Hubert Hurkacz also displaying top-class tennis against World No.3 Alexander Zverev. She went on to beat Suzan Lamens and in the quarter-finals, Australia’s Maya Joint.
In the semi-finals of the mixed-gender event, Swiatek lost to America’s Coco Gauff in straight sets, making it back-to-back losses against the World No.3 in Perth. However, Polish Hurkacz and doubles pair Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski made sure the team claimed a 2-1 win against the United States.
In the final tie, Swiatek looked eager to beat former Olympic champion Belinda Bencic in their meeting in Sydney after winning 6-3, but surprisingly failed to win a game in the second set. In the third set, Swiatek managed to win just three games, but it was the Swiss star who earned a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 win.
However, Poland went on to beat Switzerland 2-1 with Hurkacz and the doubles pair winning their matches. During the team press conference, Swiatek noted that she feels sore because it was just her first tournament of the season and her body is yet to get used to the toughness of professional tennis after the off-season:
Everything is fine. Just super sore. I guess the first tournament of the year costs the body a bit differently than during the season. But I had similar experience last year also. I’ll just get good recovery, couple days off. Also I know these team events. I love them but they really take a lot of energy from you. I still need to figure out how to balance that maybe in the future (smiling). I get so excited on the bench, yeah, it’s almost like playing a match honestly.
Swiatek’s next focus will be the Australian Open, which kicks off on January 18. Several players, including Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, have arrived in Melbourne and are already training hard ahead of kick-off. The Polish No.1 will take a little rest and make some readjustments in her game in her preparations for the Australian Open.
Iga Swiatek praises Team Poland for finally winning the United Cup
Iga Swiatek and Poland had suffered heartbreak on two occasions at the United Cup. In 2024, the team lost to Germany in the final, and in 2025, fell to the Americans. This year’s edition, they didn’t need to rely heavily on Swiatek as Hubert Hurkacz produced convincing performances, beating the likes of Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Stan Wawrinka in the men’s singles.
After Poland’s triumph, Swiatek noted that the team was desperate to finally win the United Cup after being unlucky in 2024 and 2025. She added that despite not giving her best performance at the tournament, her teammates stepped up to the occasion, delivering superb tennis:
Finally, we have made it – third-time lucky… I mean, not lucky because we worked really hard. I want to thank our team because this year I felt like it was such a team effort. I really felt the support. Even though my singles performance wasn’t perfect, you really got my spirits up and each of you believed to the end.
Swiatek finished the 2025 season winning three titles, one Grand Slam, and two other WTA titles. This year, she will be aiming to win more Grand Slams, particularly the Australian Open, which will make her the 11th woman in the Open Era to complete a Career Grand Slam. Also, she will be the first woman since Maria Sharapova in 2012.
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