Why Agnieszka Radwanska is worried about Iga Swiatek after Wimbledon slump loss to Alexandra Eala
WTATuesday, 14 July 2026 at 14:30
Agnieszka Radwanska has admitted her worries about Iga Swiatek after the defending champion and former World No.1 was slumped out in the third round to 29th seed Alexandra Eala.
In what was in the end a very much landmark win for Eala, it also posed questions about Swiatek who continues to struggle after leading the sport for such a huge amount of time.
Even when she stopped leading the way, she was still towards the top of tennis. But now she is on the verge of falling out of the top 10 in the latest WTA Rankings published this week.
Swiatek battled back from 3-5 down to force a tie-break and had two set points before Eala eventually won. She did not respond well to going 4-0 down in the second set and she did not recover. Swiatek has not reached a final since she won the Korea Open in September while before that she lost her Queen of Clay moniker and bounced back to win Wimbledon but didn't do a lot else.
Ups and downs cost Swiatek
Speaking to Tennis365, Radwanska lauded Eala, but she also spelled out the danger for Swiatek and why she fears for her compatriot. Radwanska retired just before she was 30 so knows what it is like to have such a stark rise then a big fall.
“Well, that match, it was a good match. Eala played really solid tennis,” said Radwanska. “The first set was really intense and good quality.
“Obviously, it was a couple moments that Iga had it there, and the tiebreaker could have gone either way.
Alexandra Eala slumped out Iga Swiatek.
What Radwanska mooted that she was worried about was surrounding the giving everything up to Eala and that she was easily beaten so didn't show as much resolve. Going from being up in the match, Radwanska mooted that Swiatek can't have that many ups and downs if she is to return to her best.
“But the only thing I was a little bit worried about was: the beginning of the second set went so quickly to Eala.
“3-0 and two breaks in five minutes, I think. That was a really slow start [for Swiatek], and that cost her the set.
“Obviously, then she was fighting and coming back, and there were a lot of long games, but when you play someone at that level, you have to keep going.
“You cannot have that many ups and downs — that’s going to cost you.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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mandoist10-07-2026 - "Like if it was hotter, I probably would have won, I'm not gonna lie." Geezus...mandoist08-07-2026
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