"I can't erase it because I lost today": Iga Swiatek won't lose faith amid recent purple patch, credits Amanda Anisimova

Poland’s Iga Swiatek has admitted that she was not surprised to see the performance of Amanda Anisimova after losing in the semifinal of the US Open. The 24-year-old suffered a defeat in straight sets to Anisimova with a score of 6-4, 6-3. The result was a complete contrast of how things went when both players featured in the previous meeting.

The two players in the final of Wimbledon earlier this year were Swiatek, who secured a historic win as she became the first women’s player in more than 100 years to win a major final in London without losing a single game. Swiatek spoke to the media after the match and stated that she was not at all surprised to see Anisimova perform the way she did.

“Honestly, well, it didn't really matter for me,” said Swiatek. “I think everybody knows how Amanda can play. Yeah, she didn't play well in Wimbledon, but it's not like she's always going to do the same mistakes or feel the same. So no, I know that she's a good player. She can play great tennis. So for me, I was ready for a tough match. And yeah, she won, so I guess it didn't matter.”

Swiatek was asked about her opinion on where she went wrong in the match. In response to that, the six-time Grand Slam winner admitted that her serve was her weak link on the night. Swiatek stated that her game from the baseline was good, but she was second-best when it came to serving.

“From the baseline, I felt it was good,” said Swiatek. “But yeah, I think the serve made the difference. She was winning, I guess, more points from her serve and I struggled a bit to sometimes make the first serve in. I'm aware. I couldn't win today's match playing like that, serving like that. And with Amanda being so aggressive on the returns, I kind of get it.”

Talking about how well Anisimova played on the day, Swiatek stated that she was prepared for a tough match after having practiced with her in the past. Swiatek admitted that Anisimova’s game on Wednesday was completely different to how it was in final at Wimbledon. “Well, she played in,” said Swiatek. “It was totally different, yeah. But as I said, it's not a surprise. I practice with her. I know how she can play. It was totally different. She moved better. She played better. Everything was different.”

Talking about what went wrong with her serve in the match, Swiatek stated that it was not just this match where she struggled with that aspect of her game. Swiatek was of the opinion that she struggled with her serve throughout the competition and it ended up costing her at the quarterfinals stage. Swiatek also praised Anisimova’s ability to return her serve, which, according to him, made a big difference. “No, I think I maybe didn't serve the best throughout the whole tournament,” said Swiatek. “But I think because she returned so well that you could see the bigger difference. But on the other hand, I wasn't practicing in between matches anyway. So I kind of have to let it go and just focus on the next one.”

The result on Monday means that Swiatek failed to achieve a significant landmark, where for the first time in her career, she had the opportunity to cement a spot in the semifinal of all Grand Slams. Earlier this year, Swiatek was knocked out in the semifinal of the Australian Open after losing to Madison Keys. At the French Open, Swiatek came second-best in the semifinal again, that time against world number one Aryna Sabalenka. Swiatek was asked after her loss to Anisimova about how she would look at the result, considering she had an impressive few months leading up to the US Open. In response to that, Swiatek stated that nothing can erase what she achieved just because she lost ‘today’. “No, because I know what I achieved,” said Swiatek. “So I can't erase it because I lost today.”