Criticized for Downfall, Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz Receive Major Boost from WTA Legend Despite String of Disappointments

Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek won Grand Slam titles this season, they probably wouldn’t be satisfied with how the season went overall. Both players went from dominating the world ranking charts to somewhat, experiencing a sharp twist in their performance and bouts of unexpected defeats and premature exits. Despite making strides in the right direction, Swiatek has faced criticism at times, which, in turn, has elicited a strong response from a former tennis pro.

After an ideal finish to the season’s first half, Polish star Swiatek couldn’t capitalize on her strengths. She managed to walk with an Olympic bronze, despite expressing aspirations for bagging the elusive gold. Months later, she shocked fans after revealing a surprise split with longtime coach Tomasz Wiktorowski. She skipped the Asian hardcourt swing, and joined forces with Wim Fissette, but, her performances have been underwhelming. The Pole even lost to American Coco Gauff in the round-robin second round of the WTA Finals.
With concerns emerging due to her dropped success rate amongst Polish fans, former Wimbledon champion and the current director of the Billie Jean King Cup Conchita Martinez couldn’t help but snub those claims. While talking to ‘Onet’, she illustrated countryman Alcaraz as an example and highlighted that no one should judge players based on their losses. Instead, fans should support them in moments of crisis, knowing their capability to rise again.

Martinez said, “Are you talking about a crisis when she’s number two in the world?! She’s an incredible player, she’s won many titles, she’s won many Grand Slams. Do we expect her to win everything? In Spain, we often say that Carlos Alcaraz is going through a crisis, even though he is one of the top teams. There is no point in trampling players down. It is important to support them positively, not to push them into negative thinking. I think that each one is worth supporting. Even if they lose one match, they are still amazing.”