SHOCKING: Iga Swiatek is suffering from a problem Novak Djokovic has failed to solve
Sympathy was hard to identify for Iga Swiatek as she crashed out of the Australian Open after an epic semi-final showdown against Madison Keys.
Polish tennis fans were naturally disappointed to see their national hero depart the stage before an anticipated showdown in the final against her great rival Aryna Sabalenka, but the reaction of social media was joyous relief as the five-time Grand Slam queen bowed out of a tournament she looked favourite to win prior to her match with Keys.
Swiatek had lost just 13 games in her opening five matches in Melbourne, with his comprehensive destruction of 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu for the loss of just one game evidence of the momentum she appeared to be building up.
Yet Swiatek’s flaws were exposed by Keys, as she refused to allow the five-time Grand Slam champion to assert her control over the match took the four-time French Open champion out of her comfort zone and as the matches reached a thrilling conclusion in the third set, she finally cracked.
“She pushed me when she needed to,” said Swiatek. “I think it was 50/50 because I think maybe I would have won it sometimes if I could win easy points with my serve as she did.
“She could always come back from being in trouble with the serve, but I didn’t serve as well. So maybe that would make a difference.
“It was tight from the beginning. I would say the first set and third set where I felt like I was playing my tennis. Still, I think I played good, but she played better.”
They were gracious words from Swiatek, but she may not have had a big audience listening to her, as the world No 2 has never been a headline grabber.
