Iga Swiatek’s 2025 season came to an end this week as the world number 2 failed to progress from the group stage to the WTA Finals in Riyadh. And Swiatek isn’t exactly sure why. Despite feeling he had prepared and performed well, Swiatek admitted he left the field feeling confused.
Speaking openly after the match, the 24-year-old described the strange feeling of losing an important match and not really knowing what went wrong.
“Honestly, I did everything I could today, so I didn’t have any regrets. I felt like I had a positive mindset… I fought and I didn’t give up. It wasn’t enough, which makes me sad,” Swiatek said after falling to Amanda Anisimova for the second straight time, 6-7(3), 6-24, 6-7(3), 6-24.
Swiatek said she struggled to understand the loss not because she felt she played poorly, but because she he didn’t.
“I felt good mentally, physically and tennis-wise… So I don’t see why I couldn’t get out of the group,” said the six-time major champion, who opened her WTA Finals with a dominant win over Madison Keys before falling to Elena Rybakina in a wild 3-6, 6-1, second-set 6-6 loss.
On Wednesday against the American she ruthlessly dispatched in this year’s Wimbledon final, Swiatek felt she played much better.
“When you do everything and it’s still not enough, I think it means you just have to improve your tennis,” the Pole said.
Then came the line that sparked debate throughout the tennis world:
“I don’t know, maybe I won too much last year and that’s karma,” Swiatek offered.
Maybe she’s right? Maybe Iga is like the tennis fans on Twitter, who believe in jinxes so devoutly that they call out anyone who speaks positively of a player at the start of a match she eventually loses? Doubtful, actually.
Social media may have overreacted to Swaitek’s comment about karma, but we won’t do that here. She is probably referring to luck, which is a central part of many sporting events. Tennis is a game of millimeters, and often whether a ball hits a line or a net cord can make the difference in a match. Sometimes you get vacations, sometimes you don’t.
For Swiatek, the comment seemed less about superstition and more about acknowledging the emotional weight of expectations. It’s hard to live up to those when you’ve emerged as the tournament’s most dominant player and won six majors and 125 weeks at No. 1.
The most important? Swiatek seemed to accept defeat in stride. It’s time to decompress and enjoy life as a Wimbledon champion for a few weeks before we prepare for another demanding season.
“From my experiences, if you put in that much intensity and courage and care that much, it usually pays off. So we’ll see if I keep working, whether it pays off or not,” she said.
The best guess is that there will be plenty of earnings for Swiatek in 2026 and beyond. She’s not done taking on the tennis world, even if she’s retreated a bit on the court over the past two seasons.
When we look back on her 2025 season, there is one thing that will stand above the rest: the Wimbledon title highlighted all of Swiatek’s fitness and the obvious chemistry she has enjoyed with coach Wim Fissette. It was a game-changing moment for Swiatek, one that provides clear evidence that she can learn to win on any surface and under any pressure.
It won’t pay dividends every week, but you can be sure that title in SW19 will keep the wind in Swiatek’s sails for many years to come. With six major titles and counting at the age of 24, the future looks bright for Iga, even if her season ended in disappointment.
