Iga Swiatek lost already in the third round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, and after the match, she identified the reasons for her loss.
Yulia Putintseva completely outplayed Swiatek in the second and third set of their third-round match at SW19, as the Polish No. 1 struggled to find any answers to her opponent's heroics.
As she proved multiple times, Swiatek is the best player in the world, but at Wimbledon, she's yet to go past the quarter-final stage, and she won't change that this year due to her third-round loss.
Speaking to the media after her loss, the Polish player was asked whether, because of how difficult it is for her to do well at SW19, she would prioritize winning the grass-court major more than others.
The World No. 1 player said that she has the same determination when fighting for every tournament win, and if she had a chance to try it again in a few months, her motivation would certainly be higher, but since the tournaments are played only once a year, she can't predict what would happen in 12 months.
"If I had another Wimbledon in two months, I would be really really determined and for sure I’d focus really hard to work for it. But it’s gonna be in a year. I’m not sure what’s gonna happen in a year. Obviously I’m determined in every tournament."
However, she also identified the reasons behind her early loss. With the 2024 Paris Olympics around the corner, and the Roland Garros finishing just recently, the 2024 Wimbledon Championships was right in the middle of two very important tournaments for the Pole.
She is a four-time Roland Garros champion, and the Olympic Games will be played on the same courts where she lifted her fifth career major a few weeks ago, so it was clear that her focus would always be on those two clay-court tournaments.
"This part of the season isn’t easy. It’s the middle of the season, and we’re switching surfaces. Going from this kind of tennis where I feel like I’m playing the best tennis of my life to going to another surface where I kind of struggle a bit more, it’s not easy."
Yet, it wasn't just about the focus, but also about the ability to prepare well for the third Grand Slam of the season. Ahead of her third-round match, Swiatek was on a 21-match winning streak, after winning the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, and the French Open, which meant she played many matches, and she was unable to enter Wimbledon rested, which she identified as one of the reasons for the loss.
"All that stuff kind of combines to me not having a really good time at Wimbledon (laughs) but again, I feel like I’m gonna do a better job at recovering. If I would have more energy going into the tournament I can work through that and focus on the right stuff."
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