By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday January 5, 2022
A lopsided loss at the hands of American Jessica Pegula left Iga Swiatek emotionally drained, the World No.1 breaking down in tears after her 6-2 6-2 thumping at the hands of the American at the United Cup in Sydney.
But the Pole does not expect to experience any lingering effects after the loss, which came under unique circumstances. First, Swiatek and her Polish teammates had to trek from Brisbane to Sydney on yesterday’s day off, making preparation for the semifinal tie difficult.
“In Brisbane it was pretty humid and hot,” Swiatek said. “Here, the opposite, so I wouldn't say I needed to get used to it, but for sure I think traveling all day yesterday… I didn't have–like, my reaction time was probably a little bit worse.”
Swiatek admitted that she wasn’t sharp and stressed that her disappointment–and tears–were a result of the fact that she didn’t find away to rise above.
“I didn't recover well,” she said. “I think I didn't recover at all. Again, you know, usually it doesn't happen like that on other tournaments, so I'm not worried about that.”
Pegula did not have to travel, as the Americans have been playing their group matches in Sydney, and she had the benefit of a day off and facing Swiatek on a surface that she enjoys. She used her advantage well and took the play to Swiatek from start to finish–make no mistake about it, this was an incredibly impressive victory by the American.
Swiatek agrees.
“For sure she played I think like a perfect match, and it was pretty hard for me to find any spot where I could come back, because she really didn't let me do that. So congrats for her,” she said, adding: “She's one of the best players in the world, so you have to be really on top of your game to win against Jessie. It was always like that, even last season, you know.
“I'm not kind of surprised, because I know what she can do. But I'm more surprised with, I don't know, I just wasn't able to kind of step up to her game today or even do as I did usually, be more proactive, because I was just missing too much. It happens.”
The Tears Were Par for the Course
The post-match tears were flowing, and Swiatek says that it was primarily due to the fact that she was playing for Poland. We saw her break down similarly at the Tokyo Olympics after a tough loss to Paula Badosa in the second round. She cares immensely about playing for her country, and feels the stress of these moments. There should be no shame in that.
“I just knew that I felt kind of helpless today, because physically and mentally I wasn't able to kind of show up even, and problem-solve,” she explained. “So it's always hard when you lose, especially when you're kind of playing for the team and your country. So I was just sad. But, you know, it's not the first time I cried after a lost match. Nothing special.”
Ready for Melbourne
Swiatek stressed that she’s ready for Melbourne and, truth be told, she’ll probably benefit from extra rest if Poland does not rally and reach the United Cup final.
She’ll still be the heavy favorite to win in Melbourne, even though she has never claimed that title before.
“I would say I recharged my batteries, but preseason is so intense that when you're playing first tournament of the season, you feel a little bit of fatigue,” she said. “So I feel like I'm going to be more fresh before Australian Open actually than before this tournament.