“That was definitely a cold shower”: Iga Swiatek identifies most painful defeat of her season

Iga Swiatek identified her most painful defeat of the season following a year marked by a hesitant clay swing, which was eventually followed by a comeback featuring three titles in the second half of the year. The six-time major champion earned the nickname Clay Queen thanks to her marked dominance on the surface, although in 2025 things became overly complicated during the swing that had historically given the Polish player the best results of her career.

With four Roland Garros titles, Swiatek positions herself among the most dominant players in the tournament, trailing only Chris Evert with seven titles and Steffi Graf with six, while sitting in third place tied with Belgian star Justine Henin.

The Polish player boasts 10 of her 25 career titles on clay, highlighted by her four French Open victories and four WTA 1000 titles achieved in Madrid and Rome. However, this year Swiatek had to settle only for semifinals in Madrid and Paris. Despite falling short of her usual dominance on the dirt, the 24-year-old world number two managed to pivot her season successfully, securing a historic victory at Wimbledon later in the year.

In a recent interview with TVP Sport in Poland, the six-time major champion referred to the most painful defeats of the season. In an analysis of her clay-swing, Swiatek did not hesitate to choose the third-round defeat at the Rome Open against Danielle Collins as the most painful of the year, placing it above the semifinals of Roland Garros.

"Yes, that was definitely a cold shower," the world No. 2 assured. "Honestly, not even because of the rival, but the moment I was in and how I looked on the court. It wasn't something I strive for, and it was rather a cold shower."

Swiatek arrived having spent almost a year without reaching finals, and the clay-swing was not bringing the expected success, especially after a painful defeat in the semifinals of Madrid against Coco Gauff, in which Swiatek barely won two games (1-6, 1-6). In Rome, she comfortably passed her debut against Elisabetta Cocciaretto (6-1, 6-0) but ended up stumbling in straight sets against Collins (6-1, 7-5).

"On the other hand, [it was] a shower that was necessary to later play the semi-final at Roland Garros and win Wimbledon," the Polish player added. "I can regret it, but I think it wouldn't have led me to actually start working harder, because I was working very hard and I really wanted those victories in the first part of the season. Especially since that was when I started working with Wim Fissette, and I wanted to prove that with such an experienced coach I could win even more."

"I added a bit of expectation on myself that was unnecessary," the former No. 1 stated. "So, the desire was there, the efforts were there, but maybe not fully directed as they should have been. And only then would I say I got onto the right track regarding such constructive work in all aspects."

Swiatek has had to deal with high expectations in every tournament she plays, having become one of the dominant players from an early age. The last few seasons have kept her among the best, especially since she reached the top of the rankings in 2022.

The interviewer highlighted that Swiatek won eight titles in 2022, then six in 2023, and five in 2024, asking the world No. 2 if she felt that the three titles of 2025 represented a drop in her results. "I can read it in different ways," Swiatek explained. "I can read it in the sense that there is indeed less of it, and regret that I didn't win more. Wonder if I'm doing everything right. But I can also look at it from the perspective that, for example, this year I won tournaments that were last on my list in terms of probability—meaning Wimbledon and Cincinnati."

"These were always very demanding tournaments for me, where the circumstances didn't fully suit me regarding the surface and conditions," Swiatek added. "So, on the other hand, these successes will stay with me forever, and I think in a season that includes a victory at Wimbledon, you can't say it's unsuccessful."