‘She Now Lacks Strength’ – Iga Swiatek’s Childhood Coach Reveals the Pivotal Turning Point That Shook the WTA No. 1’s Reign

Since capturing the French Open title in June, Iga Swiatek’s run hasn’t quite hit the same heights. Although she made a deep push at the Paris Olympics, even reaching the semifinals, she struggled to deliver when it counted most. Recently, Swiatek withdrew from several tournaments, citing “fatigue” and “personal reasons.” But are these the real reasons for her recent struggles, or is there something more beneath the surface? In a recent interview with SPORT.PL, Swiatek’s childhood coach, Artur Szostacko, opened up about what might really be plaguing the Polish star.

There’s been no shortage of theories surrounding Swiatek’s performance dip, but Szostacko’s perspective cuts right to the heart of the issue. “Iga did not report any injuries, for me, it is a classic mental breakdown,” Szostacko said. “In this aspect, she now lacks strength, the defeat in the semi-finals of the Games cost Iga a lot. Perhaps Iga needed this reset, time will tell.” Swiatek has often spoken about the toll of the tight schedule—the physical exhaustion paired with the emotional strain. And it’s no wonder that experts are pointing to these reasons for her recent withdrawals

According to Szostacko, the mind and body of an athlete are inextricably linked—when one suffers, the other soon follows. To understand Swiatek’s struggles, Szostacko believes we need to look back at the Olympics, where Swiatek entered as a favorite to claim gold. She faced China’s Qinwen Zheng in the semifinals, and on paper, it seemed a given. The head-to-head stood at 6-0 in favor of Swiatek. But tennis is rarely that predictable. In a shock to fans and experts alike, Zheng triumphed in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5, snapping Swiatek’s 25-match winning streak on Parisian clay and shattering her aura of invincibility at Roland Garros, where she hadn’t lost since 2021

Swiatek’s emotional reaction was immediate and raw—breaking down in tears after her unexpected defeat on one of her favorite courts. The loss wasn’t just another setback; it was a deep wound. Aryna Sabalenka even remarked, “I expected Iga Swiatek to win a gold medal. It’s Paris. That’s her place.” And perhaps that’s what made it sting even more—Paris was Swiatek’s territory, and expectations were sky-high.

Swiatek managed to salvage some pride by winning the bronze, beating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and clinching Poland’s first Olympic tennis medal. But that didn’t erase the heartbreak. In an interview with CLAY, Swiatek admitted, “I’ve never felt like this before. Yesterday I experienced one of the hardest defeats of my career… I cried for six hours yesterday, if I hadn’t won (the bronze) I would have cried for a week.” Her words reveal just how deep that loss cut and how much it impacted her mentally. So how did she manage to turn the tables, albeit late, so rapidly? Let’s learn more below.

How did Iga Swiatek manage to overcome that disappointing loss and come up with a better result in the next match?
Iga Swiatek was 4-0 up in the second set of the SF match, but then Qinwen Zheng made a strong comeback and won six of the last seven games sealing the deal in the blockbuster clash. After the match, Swiatek had a short interaction with the journalists, and during that interaction, she said that she was a bit disappointed with her backhand shots in this match. Apart from that, she added, “I was not technically well positioned because I was so tense and the fact that I played back-to-back matches. We didn’t have time to adjust that and work on that.“

She clearly wasn’t too pleased with matches coming so thick and fast during the Olympics. However, when a reporter later on asked her about losing the 4-0 lead, she couldn’t hold her tears while expressing her disappointment. “Well… basically I just blew it. (Crying),” said the world number one. Making a comeback from this loss was never easy, but she played outstanding tennis in the bronze medal match to ensure she didn’t come empty-handed.