"I feel like I’ve failed": Iga Swiatek disappointed after Dubai exit against Mirra Andreeva

Iga Swiatek lamented the tough loss to Mirra Andreeva at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The 5-time Grand Slam champion struggled against the teenager and ended up defeated 3-6, 3-6, being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

The world No. 2 was rarely seen as particularly upset when leaving the court, which became evident when she ignored her coach Wim Fissette to quickly head to the locker room, with her coaching team following her in silence.

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Swiatek did not hide her disappointment later in the press conference after the defeat, which adds to early losses from Aryna Sabalenka (R16), Coco Gauff (R32), Jessica Pegula (R16), Jasmine Paolini (R16), and Zheng Qinwen (R16). The only top-10 player to reach the semi-finals was Elena Rybakina (No. 7).

According to the Pole, the hectic schedule prevents the best players from displaying their best level with enough regularity. “I’m not surprised (by the loss). It’s definitely a scheduling issue. We won’t be able to play at a high level for many years, week after week."

Iga Swiatek has a 10-3 record on the season, reaching two semi-finals and one quarter-final.

"It’s not like before when players outside the top twenty were easily beaten. Now anyone can win these tournaments. It’s been this way for several years. The schedule doesn’t help. We constantly move between continents. We change surfaces and balls. It’s not easy,” she argued.

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The 4-time French Open champion also mentioned that she expects changes in the preparation for her upcoming tournaments. Swiatek will return to the court in two weeks at Indian Wells, where she defends the title and will kick off the Sunshine Double.

"I’m not usually this direct, but I would attribute this performance to a lack of prior training. These results don’t satisfy me. I feel like I’ve failed. I need to talk to my team and plan training in a slightly different way," she concluded.

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