Iga Swiatek opened up about her foot injury before starting her Asian swing at the 2025 Korea Open in Seoul.
Swiatek last competed at the US Open. She lost in the quarterfinals of the New York Slam to Amanda Anisimova, who proved to be better than her. The American player won the match in two sets, 6-4, 6-3.
Shortly after her loss, Swiatek addressed her fans through her Instagram profile. The Polish player revealed something that not many knew - she was managing a foot issue during the event.
"Playing matches without practicing on days off, managing foot issue, pushing through a lot... We made it to the quarterfinals with a lot on our plate and I’m pretty proud of what I did in these circumstances. And more importantly of the experience I gained. I’ll be back next year with a lot of determination."
Swiatek has not played since her loss at the US Open, and she will be the first player from the Top 10 to return to action. Considering the uncertainty surrounding her injury, which might be a bit surprising, which is why the world No. 2 faced a question about the foot issue ahead of her participation in Seoul.
The six-time Grand Slam champion revealed that she didn't get to practice a lot. At the same time, Swiatek mentioned that she feels physically well, so the issue shouldn't be a problem anymore.
"I haven’t been practising a lot because I needed time to recover and to do everything to just be ready to play matches. So physically, I feel great. I feel like I need to practice some more, but I don’t have any pain or anything. It’s all good."
Iga Swiatek's coach discusses the impact of mixed doubles on her foot injury
Although it seems that Swiatek's foot injury is a thing of the past now, as a professional athlete, she will always strive to analyze every single mistake made to avoid it in the future.
Swiatek's coach, Wim Fissette, spoke about the issue during an interview with the Polish publication Sport.pl, revealing that it was a challenging event for the Polish No. 1.
"We had some problems before the tournament started, related to a blister on Iga's foot. We had to be very careful. Now, looking back, I feel we probably handled that difficult situation as best we could. I think the entire team did everything they could, including Maciej [Ryszczuk - physical preparation coach and physiotherapist - ed.], Dr. Mateusz [Dawidziuk - Świątek's doctor - ed.], and the local specialists at the US Open."
"Truly, we navigated this difficult situation as best we could. We couldn't practice between matches, and Iga needs that—sometimes to improve her technique a bit, and also to gain confidence, so she can repeat important things before certain matches."
Fissette was asked whether Swiatek's participation in the mixed doubles event ahead of the US Open could have impacted her struggles. The 45-year-old coach said that according to him and Swiatek's physio Ryszczuk, the mixed doubles event didn't impact the WTA world No. 2.
"I'm not one to judge whether the mixed doubles made things worse. I talked to Maciej [Ryszczuk - ed.] about it. I asked him if it was something we shouldn't have done, looking back. He didn't think it made much difference."
"The root of the problem turned out to be the tournament in Cincinnati, where it was really hot, which in Iga's case, with her sliding and intense movement, is even more important."
Swiatek is healthy, according to her own words, and she will need that if she wants to succeed at the WTA 500 event in Seoul. She could play against fellow Grand Slam winner Emma Raducanu or another major champion, Barbora Krejcikova, already in the quarter-finals.
Popular News
Just In
Loading