“It’s not easy,” Iga Swiatek blames surface change for her second-round defeat at Wimbledon

Swiatek also blamed herself for not resting properly and felt she needed more energy to play on grass. 

“It’s not easy,” Iga Swiatek blames surface change for her second-round defeat at Wimbledon

Iga Swiatek (Image via Imago)

Fans witnessed the first big upset on Court 1 of Wimbledon when Iga Swiatek lost easily to Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in the third round. After an easy win in the first set, Swiatek was completely outclassed in the next two sets as she lost the match with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. 

The loss also ended the World No.1’s 21-match winning streak. Since the semifinal loss at the Stuttgart Open, Swiatek did not lose a single match, winning three titles in the process- in Madrid, Rome, and Paris. But those were the titles on clay where Swiatek has already proved her dominance. 

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After her defeat, the 23-year-old Pole said that if she had to prepare for Wimbledon in two months, she would work extremely hard but can’t guarantee that for the next year. She also admitted she found it difficult to adapt to grass after playing continuously on clay. 

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Obviously, I’m determined in every tournament. This part of the season isn’t easy. It’s the middle of the season and we’re switching surfaces. Going from this kind of tennis where I feel like I’m playing the best tennis of my life to going to another surface where I kind of struggle a bit more, it’s not easy.
Iga Swiatek said at the press conference 

But even though Swiatek suffered the shock defeat at the SW19, she is the most successful player in Women’s tennis this season, having already lifted five titles. Her first two titles came on hard court in the Qatar Open and the Indian Wells Masters. 

Iga Swiatek vows never to repeat mistakes again 

Iga Swiatek did not get the much-needed practice on grass before arriving at Wimbledon as she withdrew from the Berlin Open due to mental and physical fatigue. But despite skipping the warm-up matches, Swiatek blamed herself for not resting properly and felt she needed more energy to play on grass. 

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Image via Imago) 
My tank of really pushing myself to the limits became suddenly empty. I was kind of surprised. But I know what I did wrong after Roland Garros. I didn’t really rest properly. I’m not going to make this mistake again.
Iga Swiatek said at the press conference 

After Wimbledon, the Paris Olympics will start, with tennis matches scheduled to start on July 27. Swiatek will be back in Paris again to bid for her fifth trophy on the Roland Garros courts.

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