Iga Swiatek's Relationship With Psychologist 'Disturbed' And 'Crossed' Lines Says Expert
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Iga Swiatek's relationship with her psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, is often discussed, as the two have a bit different relationship than a typical player-coach relationship.
Like many tennis players, Swiatek has a psychologist. She has worked with Abramowicz since the early days of her tennis career, and she often partially credits her for her success.
It's clear that Swiatek likes working with Abramowicz, even though there were moments when their relationship didn't seem to be ideal. On top of that, the relationship between them is under the microscope.
One of the reasons is because of a moment from Netflix's Break Point, a series in which Swiatek appeared. Cameras captured a moment when Swiatek was getting a haircut and her psychologist displayed behavior that some fans called controlling. Since then, the former WTA World No. 1 player addressed the incident, saying it happened differently than it was portrayed in the series.
Still, it was a moment that was significant enough for many of Swiatek's fans to remember it and observe Abramowicz's behavior. Therefore, it's not a surprise that this relationship is often discussed also in the Polish media.
Sports psychologist Dariusz Nowicki spoke to the Polish publication Interia Sport, and he was asked about a comment made to the same publication by former ATP World No. 14 Jerzy Janowicz. Janowicz talked about Swiatek's relationship with her psychologist, saying that he would call Abramowicz a friend and not a psychologist.
"I would rather call her a friend than a psychologist. Most good psychologists who work with the best athletes in the world usually keep to themselves. Often we don't even know they exist."
Nowicki agreed with Janowicz's statement. According to the sports psychologist, the relationship between Swiatek and her psychologist is a "disturbed relationship" that has crossed the boundaries of a professional relationship, since the two are more or less friends.
"This is an accurate statement. A statement by a player, admittedly, and not an expert in the art of coaching or sports psychology, but an athlete who - I assume - closely observes the tennis reality. And he himself has worked with psychologists."
"As I say, this is an accurate statement in my opinion, and not only by Mr. Janowicz, because several tennis commentators have also made similar statements, and from their mouths have appeared terms such as confidante and mentor."
"If we were to look at this relationship only and exclusively from the point of view of strictly psychological workshop, then it is indeed a disturbed relationship, in which certain boundaries of professional distance between the psychologist and the client are crossed."
Swiatek will want to silence any talks about her relationship with Abramowicz during the upcoming clay-court part of the season. The Pole will be the main favorite to win every event that she will enter, despite failing to win a title since last year's French Open.
