'That's What Champions Do': Iga Swiatek Backed To Recover After Recent Struggles
NewsTuesday, 20 May 2025 at 00:00
Iga Swiatek has endured a very challenging period, but former semifinalist at Roland Garros, Andrea Petkovic, has not lost faith in the Pole.
Almost 12 months ago, Swiatek had a formidable lead at the top of the WTA rankings after winning her fourth French Open title. She was indisputably the best women's player on the planet at that time.
No one could have predicted that the 24-year-old would not reach a final since then. That drought has seen Swiatek plummet from No. 1 throughout most of 2024 to her current position of No. 5, sliding three spots after the 2025 Italian Open.
Things could get even worse after the French Open. If Swiatek loses early and drops most of her 2,000 points from last year, there is a mathematical possibility of her dropping outside the Top 10, an unthinkable possibility a year ago.
Swiatek's most recent setback was losing in the round of 32 in Rome to Danielle Collins. Falling early at an event she has won three times led to panic among many of her supporters, especially with the French Open looming.
Petkovic refuses to join those doubting the 2022 US Open champion. In an article on Substack, the German acknowledged that Swiatek has been experiencing doubts, but believes she will come through her difficulties.
"We can see what happens when the absence of doubt becomes absent with Iga Swiatek right now. Everything that seemed natural and innate becomes artificial and forced. What once flowed now stutters, what once was natural now is hard."
"It’s almost easier for somebody like me who one day just got used to having doubts. They were foes no more, only bizarre voices in my head. Iga, on the other hand, never had to live with them. All she ever knew how to be was the best tennis player in the world. She will calibrate again, that’s what champions do."
Respected analysts like Petkovic are valuable for providing context and balance, something often missing from fans of players, who can become emotional when their favorites are having challenging times.
Swiatek's achievements until the last 12 months were incredible. She secured a fifth Grand Slam just a few days after her 23rd birthday and has been the world No. 1 for 125 weeks, putting her 7th on the all-time WTA singles list.
Those incredible results from the start of 2022 until the 2024 French Open made it feel like her dominance would persist without any breaks. In reality, even the best players must navigate difficult times.
Rafael Nadal, Swiatek's childhood idol, did not reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam in 2015 and 2016. Many felt the Spaniard's time at the top was over before he responded emphatically by securing two majors in 2017.
Novak Djokovic's domination of tennis in 2015 and the first half of 2016 came to a crashing halt with a terrible 2017 and the first few months of 2018 by his standards. The 24-time Grand Slam champion responded by becoming the most successful player in tennis history.
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