"I was a little surprised": Former world number one highlights reason behind Iga Swiatek's recent struggles

Former world number one John McEnroe has highlighted one area where Poland’s Iga Swiatek has struggled in the recent past. The 23-year-old is regarded as one of the best players currently playing in women’s tennis but has struggled to continue producing positive results consistently.

Swiatek’s most recent appearance was in the Qatar Open, where she lost in the semifinal to Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-1. It was her fifth consecutive defeat in five meetings against the reigning world number five in professional tennis. Before coming to the competition, Swiatek played in the first Grand Slam of the year, and her journey ended in the semifinals as well. She lost to eventual champion America’s Madison Keys with a score of 5-7, 6-1, 7-6.

The former world number has had a rough time on the court since last year’s French Open. Her last title remains the French Open in 2024, where she defeated Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-1. After that, she has now lost in the semifinal of different events on four consecutive occasions.

Former world number one McEnroe has been recently quoted in a report by Tennis 365, in which he highlighted one of the primary reasons why Swiatek has struggled for consistency in the recent past. The 65-year-old was of the opinion that the five-time Grand Slam winner must add another layer to her play, which is to play defensively when things are not going great.

“One issue for me is she doesn’t want to play defence at all,” said McEnroe. “At times, she should pull back when the offence isn’t going as well as it can do on clay. She keeps trying to hit out, which is somewhat surprising for someone who prefers a slower surface. I was a little surprised that she is either unwilling or unable to make adjustments on the faster surfaces. I don’t know if she had a dip in confidence, but if you saw someone like Iga digging in and defending as well as she attacks, that would be hard opponents to overcome. I’m a little surprised she has not made that adjustment, but she is young. Hopefully she can make that adjustment and improve a little at the net.”