Iga Swiatek said to have developed a ‘very strange’ problem which is leaving former Grand Slam semi-finalist confused

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Iga Swiatek has yet to reach a WTA Tour final in 2025 despite playing in five quarter-finals.

The world number two was one point away from qualifying for the Australian Open final in January, when she narrowly fell to defeat against Madison Keys, 7-5, 1-6, 6-7 [8-10].

Swiatek then lost to Jelena Ostapenko in the Doha semi-finals before falling at the quarter-final stage to Mirra Andreeva in Dubai.

Another defeat to the Russian star followed in Indian Wells, 6-7, 6-1, 3-6, as she lost to Andreeva in the semi-finals.

The Pole then suffered her most shocking defeat of the season when Alexandra Eala beat Swiatek in the Miami Open quarter-finals.

Ahead of the clay court season, one former WTA star has shared her concerns over the 23-year-old’s recent form.

Andrea Petkovic says Iga Swiatek has developed a ‘very strange’ problem against top WTA players

Speaking on the Becker Petkovic podcast, 2014 French Open semi-finalist Andrea Petkovic explained the ‘very strange’ thing that happens to Swiatek during the latter stages of tournaments.

“I don’t quite understand what’s happening [with Iga Swiatek] because she plays [well] in the first rounds,” said Petkovic.

“She still plays semi-finals everywhere, still quarter-finals everywhere, finals, she’s always close.

“She still has the most match wins after [Aryna] Sabalenka on the tour. 

“But, and this makes me curious, when she was the best, when she was the number one, she improved more and more from [the] quarterfinals, semi-finals, finals, as the champions do.

“She doesn’t have that anymore, now she’s getting worse in the quarterfinals and in the semi-finals.”

Petkovic explained what she thinks happens to Swiatek when she makes deep runs into WTA tournaments.

“Suddenly the pressure comes through, it’s like until then, she has no doubt at all that she could ever lose,” she said.

“All of a sudden, in the semi-finals, that panic comes through, suddenly this pressure comes through.

“It is such a very strange, ambivalent feeling, especially with her, that she is still bursting with self-confidence but no longer against the best in the world.

“Against the best in the world, doubts suddenly come into play, and that worries me a little.”

The German did, however, predict a return to form for Swiatek on her favored clay courts.

“She will probably do it on clay, she will most likely get it back, that she wins again in the final stages of the big tournaments, because that is simply her best surface,” said Petkovic.

Swiatek will head to the French Open in May as a three-time defending champion, having dominated in Paris recently.

• 2024 French Open F – Iga Swiatek beat Jasmine Paolini, 6-2, 6-1
• 2023 French Open F – Iga Swiatek beat Karolina Muchova, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
• 2022 French Open F – Iga Swiatek beat Coco Gauff, 6-1, 6-3

Andrea Petkovic reveals what WTA players said before Grand Slam matches with Serena Williams

Petkovic’s confusion surrounding Swiatek’s recent struggles is in part thanks to her own experiences playing the very best in women’s tennis.

The 37-year-old explained what the WTA locker room used to say when players took on the top-seeds in early rounds of Grand Slam events.

“When I was unseeded at Grand Slams and then pulled a seeded player, let’s assume you get Serena Williams in the first round, or you get Caroline Wozniacki, who was number one at the time,” said Petkovic.

“There will always be a person in the locker room who would ask you, Andrea, who are you playing against? And then you say Serena Williams.

“Then that person says, oh, but better in the first round than in the quarter-finals.

“Every time you say somehow, yes, you’re actually right because in the quarter-finals, she probably plays better than they played in the first round.

“Then you still lose 6-2, 6-2, but hope dies last.”

Williams often grew into Grand Slam events and retired in 2022, holding the record for Major titles won in the Open Era.

Swiatek would no doubt love to add to her tally of five Major titles later this year, as she looks to get her season back on track.

The 2025 French Open is set to begin on Sunday, May 25, in Paris.