When Iga Swiatek loses, a mass inquest often follows, given just how infrequent that often is.
The 23-year-old has enjoyed a rip-roaring 2024, capped off with yet another Roland Garros title amongst other illustrious competition wins.
However, her inability to regularly go deep in other Grand Slams, particularly Wimbledon, is becoming a real problem for Swiatek despite her obvious talent.
Whether it be a mental block or just an inability to transition onto this particular surface, something is stopping her from truly competing in SW19.
She has already sought to find the root of the problem herself, just days after Ash Barty praised Swiatek’s development on grass.
Iga Swiatek gets dumped out of Wimbledon
Speaking to Tennis.com after her stunning third-round exit from Wimbledon, Swiatek was in no mood for niceties.
And unsurprisingly so, after her torrid grass-court form continues. She has now exited this particular Grand Slam before the quarter-finals every year except for 2023.
However, in delivering her post-match assessment, she actually claimed that she knows exactly what she did wrong which has resulted in yet another underperformance on the turf.
She offered the following excuse: ‘I know what I did wrong after Roland Garros, I didn’t really rest properly. I’m not going to make this mistake again and, you know, after such a tough clay-court season I really messed up my recovery.
‘I literally came back to work, not tennis-wise but like off-court stuff, and I shouldn’t have done that. Maybe next year I’m going to take a vacation and literally just do nothing.’
Iga Swiatek’s grass-court woes continue
Since her first appearance at Wimbledon in 2019, Swiatek has made it clear that grass is not really her friend.
In fact, across her young career, in which she already boasts 22 titles, it is startling that none have come on this particular surface.
Her debut at the Championships saw her exit in the very first round, but her newness to the professional sport can excuse that.
And, a year later, COVID-19 saw Wimbledon cancelled.
Reaching the fourth round in 2021 suggested progression, but then reaching the third round the year later suggested this steady increase might not be as telling as first thought.
Even when she did reach the quarter-finals, the deepest she has ever gone, losing to Elina Svitolina just when the draw seemed to have opened up kind of summed up her time with Wimbledon.
One day, there is every chance the Polish superstar may claim this illustrious title, but it promises to be her toughest challenge given how tough it is already proving for her to tackle.
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