Swiatek Explains 'Irritated' Look After Yet Another Loss To Ostapenko
NewsSunday, 20 April 2025 at 20:00
Iga Swiatek lost to Jelena Ostapenko for the sixth consecutive time, and her irritation during the loss at the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was obvious.
Swiatek, like most athletes, loves winning. And maybe more than she loves winning, the Polish player hates losing, which is why she is clearly frustrated when things don't go her way.
There is one opponent against whom things rarely go right for her. In fact, things never went right for Swiatek against Ostapenko, as she never managed to beat the Latvian.
Before their meeting at the WTA 500 event in Stuttgart, Ostapenko led 5-0 in their H2H, and she was able to further extend her perfect record against the five-time Grand Slam champion, winning also their sixth match.
Naturally, it was a frustrating loss for Swiatek, who, for a second, seemingly found a way to counter her opponent. The WTA World No. 2 won the second set, but ultimately, she lost the match in three sets 3-6, 6-3, 2-6.
Speaking after the match, the 23-year-old admitted that she was happy about the second set and also about how she kept fighting, but, of course, she couldn't be happy about the overall result.
"Well, for sure, I'm happy with the second set. Disappointed that I couldn't hold my level in the first games of the third set, because I think for sure it was important. But, you know, I kept fighting."
During the press conference, Swiatek was also asked about being irritated. When asked the question, the Polish player asked whether she looked more irritated during her loss to Ostapenko than how she looks usually when she loses.
"Did I look irritated today? Much more than when I lose overall?"
Swiatek was told that she looked about as irritated as she usually does, which is normal for a competitor like she is. The Pole then explained that she felt like she had her chances, but just couldn't use them.
"Well, I think today was a tight match, so for sure I had my chances to win. Before, like, for sure, like, these matches were different. Like, she went for it, and she was smashing every ball kind of perfectly. Today she didn't, she made some mistakes. I had my chances. I just didn't use them."
Swiatek was also asked about her tactic against Ostapenko. Obviously, she finds it hard to counter the Latvian, but the second seed said she had a clear tactic, she just had to stick to it throughout the match, which she couldn't do.
"Honestly, I wasn't able to play anything before, like, any tactics. No, it was pretty simple, and I knew what I need to do. I did that in the second set, so it was just a matter of, like, keeping it for the whole match."
Swiatek was also asked to compare Ostapenko to the current WTA World No. 1 player, Aryna Sabalenka. The two play similarly, but according to Swiatek, Ostapenko just takes more risks.
"I mean, there are many differences. Aryna plays a little bit more logical and she spins the ball, so it's not like she smashes out of control. Jelena plays much more risky and with less spin, so, yeah, there are many differences."
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