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‘I Couldn’t Sleep’ – World No.1 Iga Swiatek’s Most Vulnerable Career Moment Unveiled in an Honest Admission

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Iga Swiatek, the WTA number 1, experienced a roller coaster of emotions at Roland Garros in 2021. Her journey took an unexpected turn in the quarterfinals against Maria Sakkari, leaving her to deal with a defeat that was quite hard for her to accept. Looking back on those memories, Swiatek shared her insights on the emotional challenges that she went through after the loss, admitting that it was not ‘easy’ for her.

The 22-year-old (then 20) had to take an off-court medical time-out in the second set of the match in 2021, after which Sakkari knocked her out. The defeat was hard for her, especially after her outstanding start to the tournament. However, in a recent interview, she revealed how she can now ‘overcome’ those issues swiftly.

Iga Swiatek’s reflections on her defeat at the French Open quarterfinals in 2021
Iga Swiatek, during the French Open of 2021, failed to maintain her composure against Maria Sakkari. Three years after experiencing the loss, Swiatek reflected on the match, expressing the distress and pressure that she went through at that time. “I remember I couldn’t sleep and everything.” She had bagged a grand slam before that match. This further increased the pressure on her shoulders. As a result, when she lost the quarterfinals of the French Open, it became a more emotionally demanding situation for her.

“Yeah, I think Roland Garros 2021 was a great example, ’cause — for sure being the defending champion, especially after a Grand Slam where you weren’t really expected to do anything, it wasn’t really easy.” she said, further describing the emotional turmoil that she felt following the game.

However, Iga Swiatek learned her lessons the hard way. Delving deeper into the subject, she opened up about the valuable lessons that she acquired after the defeat.

Swaitek now knows how to ‘overcome’ her problems off-court

Iga Swiatek acknowledged the important lessons she gained after losing the game in 2021. She understood how critical it was to accept weakness and use it as a source of strength for development, both on and off the court.

Talking about the solutions to the challenges that she faced, Swiatek said, “Now I have some solutions to overcome these kind of issues”. This signified the emotional growth that she experienced after the defeat.

“Back then, like, the whole tournament was really tough emotionally. I wouldn’t have made the same mistakes on the next ones ”, Swiatek further highlighted the mental fortitude she developed over the years.

Through all the highs and lows of her Roland Garros journey, Iga Swiatek came out on top as a champion-maybe, not on the court, but definitely on her personal journey of self-discovery.

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TENNIS

‘Freaked Me Out’ – Maria Sakkari Confesses to Being ‘Nervous’ of Coco Gauff Resurgence at Indian Wells

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Maria Sakkari is into the Indian Wells finals! But to reach the championship round of the tournament, she had to face the 20-year-old American sensation, Coco Gauff, in the semis. However, winning the match was not an easy task; both of them gave tough competition to each other, and the Greek also made a second set mishap, creating a hurdle for herself.

However, at the end of the day, she made it through the other side of the tunnel. Recently, the 28-year-old tennis star opened up about getting real about the mishap and confessed her feelings that she was going through during the match.

“It freaked me out a little bit” – Sakkari opens up about her thoughts while playing against Coco Gauff
The world-ranked 9th-ranked tennis player has reached her second Indian Wells final after defeating the US Open champion in the semi-finals. Recently, the Greek tennis player opened up about how she was feeling nervous during the match in such a way that she kept on thinking about the finish line, giving away the second set to her opponent.

She said, “Well, you know, I knew from the beginning it was going to be very tough. You know, a lot of things happened today. Rain delays. Obviously, you know, that second set could have been different, but I was thinking of that finish line too much, and then I was just thinking too much in that, you know, on how to close out the match. That didn’t really help me. It freaked me out a little bit. I was too nervous.”

On the other hand, she also highlighted that she is proud of herself that she kept aside her nervousness and fought hard in the third set even after having rain delays and going through a difficult second set. Before the first of two rain delays disrupted play, Sakkari was serving at 3–4. The match had gone on without any breakpoints.

When play resumed, she held her serve quickly to tie the match at four. Following that, she quickly secured a triple break point after taking advantage of her American opponent’s careless serving game. Not only that, the Greek tennis player was also asked about whether achieving such a feat against the 20-year-old would be possible in the past.

Sakkari has come a long way against Gauff
For the past few weeks, the ninth-ranked tennis player has been making headlines because of the coaching switch that took place before the tournament. After splitting with her 6-year-old coach, Tom Hill, she joined hands with Jessica Pegula’s former coach, David Witt, and since then, everything has become better and better.

In a recent press conference, she was questioned about whether she could have defeated the US Open champion if the match had happened six months sooner than it did. Rather than shying away from how far she has come, she stated, “Against Coco? No. Straightforward no.” With a smile on her face during this answer, she clearly highlighted how the coaching change, somewhere down the line, has been a good decision at the right time.

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on Sakkari’s nervous revelation? Do let us know in the comment section below.

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