Sand specialist IGA Swiatek has left the WTA-Masters in Madrid. At the WTA tournament in Madrid as defending champion in the semifinals, the 23-year-old Polish was swept 1: 6, 1: 6 in the semifinals and is in a deep crisis around three weeks before the French Open began in Paris (May 25th to June 8th).
Her longstanding dominance on sand seems to be over. Against number four in the world, the world rankings were second without any chance. The former US Open winner Gauff did not have to fend off a breakball, after 64 minutes the one-sided match was over.
Swiatek: “Try to force everything”
“I feel difficult and somehow try to force everything instead of moving after my intuition. Nothing is going ‘on its own’, that has happened to me again and again in the past few weeks”said the Polish after the game and explained that “No plan B” to have. One round earlier, Swiatek had lost her first set against Madison Keys with 0: 6, but then bent the game with all violence. This did not work against a strong Gauff this time. Swiatek now wants “Relax for a few days”to regain the lost ease.
The 23-year-old has not won a tournament since her French Open Triumph last June. After a positive doping finding from August, the Polish was closed for a month last autumn.