Iga Swiatek Admits Sustained Public Scrutiny and Pressure Have Deeply Affected Her Performance on Tour

Iga Swiatek’s career has never been the same since July 2024. Before that, the former World No.1 had enjoyed success, especially on the clay-court, winning the French Open four times in five years and was crowned the clay queen. However, that led to fame and public scrutiny from fans and the media about every action she takes.

Before Swiatek became World No.1 in April 2022, she was only seen as a player who could dominate the WTA circuit for years to come, and she beat the hype by cementing her place at the top of the WTA rankings and winning several titles. From 2022 to 2024, she won four Grand Slams, including three French Opens.

But in July 2024, she experienced a dip in form, crashing out early at the Wimbledon Championships and failing to reach another final that same year. Also, in October 2024, she tested positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ) and accepted a one-month suspension.

Several players and former players criticized the suspension, stressing that she was not given a harsh punishment because she was the World No. 1. However, it took more than seven months for Swiatek to recover from the doping controversy, as she failed to reach a tournament final until June 2025.

The six-time Grand Slam champion was recently criticized following her shocking fourth-round exit at Roland Garros. She’s yet to reach a tournament final this season and has reached just one semi-final on tour. Speaking in an interview with WP SportoweFakty, Swiatek admitted that the psychological demands of competing to the tennis community’s expectations have increased the pressure on her:

I received so much hate for withdrawing that I would never have expected it. 2025 was also not easy. The last two years have been much harder in that respect. It’s not easy to function in this environment. There were moments when it affected me deeply and even on court I struggled to get rid of it. Anyone who says they are completely unaffected is probably not being fully honest. It can still hurt sometimes.

Swiatek is not at the Berlin Tennis Open in Germany, where several top-10 players are seeking to transition smoothly from clay to grass ahead of the Wimbledon Championship. Rather, Swiatek will return to the Bad Homburg Open, where she reached the final last year before losing to Jessica Pegula in straight sets.

Iga Swiatek keeps her focus on smoothly transitioning to grass ahead of her Wimbledon title defense

The pressure on Iga Swiatek will surely increase as the Wimbledon Championship gets closer. She won the event title last year after beating Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in.the final. It was her first grass-court title in her career. The Polish star will now have to defend it, or she will drop out of the top 5 in the WTA rankings.

With her form being questioned on tour this season, that reduces her chances of winning the Wimbledon title for the second time. During the aforementioned interview, Swiatek noted that her internal preparation for the tournament will not change despite the external perception of the event for her:

There is always a chance. But if anyone could accurately measure that chance, they would make a lot of money in betting markets. I’ve only just started practicing on grass, this is my third day, and it’s going well. What happened last year doesn’t affect where I am now. I’m building things day by day, improving step by step.

At Bad Homburg, Swiatek will compete against the top 10 stars such as Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina, and Karolina Muchova. Andreeva and Svitolina have beaten the former World No.1 this season. At the French Open, she lost to Madrid Open champion Marta Kostyuk in straight sets on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

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