By Trisha Ghosal
Even the greatest players hit lean patches in their careers. The real test is whether they can rise from them. That trait often decides if a player is merely good or truly great.
Iga Swiatek has faced her share of criticism, from being labelled “the queen of clay” to dealing with a failed doping test (later proven to be caused by contaminated melatonin, as confirmed by the International Tennis Integrity Agency). Despite the clearance, the naysayers remained unconvinced.
Following her semi-final loss to Madison Keys at the Australian Open 2025, the player from Poland endured a frustrating run of results. By most standards, reaching six WTA 1000 semi-finals between Melbourne and Roland Garros is impressive. But for a player of Swiatek’s calibre, this was a rough patch.
Tears in Madrid
Even on her beloved clay, nothing seemed to click. During her Madrid Open semi-final loss to Coco Gauff, cameras caught her hiding her tear-streaked face in a towel.
The clip went viral, prompting Casper Ruud to tweet: “Hey Iga Swiatek, keep your head up. Like millions of other people I love watching you play. Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you’ll be back stronger than ever!!”
Heading into the French Open, for the first time since her maiden Roland Garros title in 2020, Swiatek wasn’t considered a favourite. Former players questioned her headspace, and they weren’t wrong. In big moments, she wavered, producing unforced errors, double faults, and struggling to claw her way back.
The Match That Changed Everything
At Roland Garros 2025, seeded fifth, Swiatek faced Elena Rybakina in the fourth round. Rybakina steamrolled the first set 6-1 and broke Swiatek’s serve to lead 2-0 in the second.
It looked over, until Swiatek held serve and, in the very next game, dug deep to break Rybakina on her second break point. That single conversion flipped a mental switch. Suddenly, Swiatek’s movement sharpened, her placement answered Rybakina’s power, and she claimed the set 6-3.
The decider was tense. At 5-4 down, serving to stay in the match, Swiatek won 12 of the next 15 points to seal a comeback victory.
That win restored her belief. From then on, she began playing like the Swiatek admired around the world.
From Clay Struggles to Grass Glory
Since that Rybakina match, Swiatek has won 14 of 17 matches, including her sixth Grand Slam title, and her first on grass, at Wimbledon. “The ball is listening to me,” she said with a smile in a post-match interview.
Now, as the season shifts to hard courts and the US Open looms, Swiatek is in Cincinnati for her fourth-round clash with Sorana Cirstea in a few hours from now. She’s reached the semi-finals here twice before (2023, 2024), but has been stopped by Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka.
With her mental game seemingly at its peak, Swiatek’s 2025 might yet finish as a story of ending on a high.
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