Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek recently shared a heartfelt Instagram post, offering a glimpse into her emotional struggles both on and off the court. The 23-year-old athlete, known for her dominance in the sport, revealed the toll that recent events have taken on her mental well-being.
Swiatek addressed the pressures of constant judgment and the challenges of balancing her emotions during matches. She candidly discussed an incident at Indian Wells, where her frustration led to a moment she later regretted. Swiatek emphasized that her actions were unintentional and expressed her remorse, highlighting the scrutiny athletes face in such situations.
Beyond this, Swiatek opened up about a particularly difficult period last year, marked by a doping case that she described as beyond her control. The experience left her feeling vulnerable, and she admitted to spending weeks in tears, questioning her future in the sport. Despite these hardships, Swiatek has shown resilience, using the experience to reflect and grow.
This was her lengthy message:
“One of my favorite tournaments of the year is behind me. I’m slowly moving in the direction I want and leaving here with solid work done, many good memories, and some valuable lessons.
I see there’s been a lot of recent talk about changes in my on-court behavior and emotions. Although I’m not comfortable explaining myself, it’s time I share my perspective to stop the speculation and baseless theories.
First, about the incident during my last match. It’s true -1 expressed frustration in a way I’m not proud of. My intention was never to aim the ball at anyone but merely to release my frustration by bouncing it on the ground. I immediately apologized to the ball boy, we made eye contact, and nodded to each other when I expressed regret that it happened near him. I’ve seen many players bounce balls in frustration, and frankly, I didn’t expect such harsh judgments. Usually, I control such impulses, so half-jokingly I can say I lack experience in this and misjudged my aim in the heat of the moment.
Secondly, regarding emotional expression. The second half of last year was extremely challenging for me, especially due to the positive doping test and how circumstances completely beyond my control took away my chance to fight for the highest sporting goals at the end of the season. This forced me to rearrange certain things within myself. In Australia, after weaker performances in previous years, I played without expectations, focused solely on my work, accepting that another Australian Open might not go my way regardless of my efforts. Thanks to this mindset, I performed very well and was close to reaching the final.
In the Middle East, however, it struck me hard that my positive test result case, missing two highly-ranked tournaments in October, and last year’s exceptional results (winning four 1000-level tournaments and a Grand Slam in the first half of the season) will keep affecting my ranking and basically take away my chance for no 1. This realization deeply upset me. You could see this on the court in Dubai.
I know that playing while stuck in past frustrations, over things beyond my control, isn’t the right path. My team and I recognized this issue almost immediately (with their experience, probably faster than anyone could imagine), but shifting perspective takes significant time, effort, and team support.
This leads me to two important points.
Firstly, working on oneself isn’t something you achieve once and keep forever. Sometimes we take two steps forward and one step back. I’m facing new elements of this puzzle all the time: circumstances change, my experiences evolve,
I evolve, opponents evolve, and I must constantly adapt. It’s never easy, and it’s particularly challenging for me right now. Sport is not played by robots. I’ve had three incredible seasons, but nothing comes effortlessly, and there’s no guarantee results will always be easy or under control. That’s life, and that’s sport. Sometimes even I forget that.
Secondly, constant judgment. When I’m highly focused and don’t show many emotions on court, I’m called a robot, my attitude labeled as inhuman. Now that I’m more expressive, showing feelings or struggling internally, I’m suddenly labeled immature or hysterical. That’s not a healthy standard-especially considering that just six months ago, I felt my career was hanging by a thread, spent three weeks crying daily, and didn’t want to step on the court. Today, after everything I’ve been through, I’m still processing and coming to terms with those experiences. Will sharing this change anything? Probably not, because I clearly see how much we love judging, creating theories, and imposing opinions on others. But perhaps a few people who genuinely want to understand what I’m experiencing will understand this. In any case, this external standard is definitely not my standard, and I don’t accept my team and me being boxed into external expectations.
Iga Swiatek in 2025
LWWWWLWWLW Ranked world no.2, Swiatek played her last match on the 14th of March when she capitulated to world no.6 Mirra Andreeva 7-6(1) 1-6 6-3 in the semifinal in Indian Wells (draw).
At present, during this year Swiatek achieved a 18-5 match record. Iga Swiatek’s best result of the present season was getting to the final in Australia.
