Iga Swiatek’s recent struggles showed no sign of easing as she suffered a crushing 6-1, 6-1 defeat to Coco Gauff in the Madrid Open semifinals on Thursday, extending a frustrating streak where she hasn’t reached a final since winning her fourth French Open title last June.
Despite being ranked No. 2 in the world, Swiatek’s performance was marked by evident issues with movement, a factor that plagued her throughout the tournament.
“I feel like I haven’t been moving well,” said Swiatek after the match, adding that her tennis had been “on and off” all week. The lack of a solid game plan or backup plan left her floundering on the court. “Nothing was working today,” she admitted.
This defeat marked the second consecutive day Swiatek had dropped six games in a row, the same outcome she faced against Madison Keys in the quarterfinals after a 0-6 first set. Earlier in the tournament, she had struggled against teen sensation Alexandra Eala, finding herself a set and break down before mounting a comeback.
Swiatek expressed frustration at not being able to regain her rhythm.
“Everything kind of collapsed,” she explained. Her lack of fluidity was most evident in her movement. “I wasn’t even in the right place with my feet,” she said. “I feel like I wasn’t moving well, and I think that was the key reason I couldn’t bounce back.”
The 23-year-old had never been beaten so comprehensively in recent years. Her last loss with such a scoreline was a 6-0, 6-2 drubbing by Jelena Ostapenko in 2019.
While Swiatek’s mental strength remained intact, her physical limitations were clear. “I’ve been forcing myself to move lower, to be more precise with my feet, because it’s not coming naturally,” she revealed. However, she was optimistic that, with time, things would click. “Hopefully, one day it’s going to click, but I’m not expecting anything. I’m just going to keep working,” she added.
Swiatek, who is widely regarded as one of the toughest clay-court players of her generation, didn’t attribute her struggles to a lack of self-confidence. "I’m not a different player than I was in the past,” she said.
