Iga Swiatek’s Pathetic Excuse: “I Won’t Overanalyze” is Code for “I Have No Answer for Rybakina’s Power”
Iga Swiatek admits she will try to “occupy my mind” with some different stuff so she can avoid “overanalyzing” what led to her shocking WTA Finals collapse against Elena Rybakina.
Swiatek made a swift start in Riyadh, taking out Madison Keys 6-1 6-2 and then also routinely winning the opening set against Rybakina 6-3. From that moment on, the world No. 2 completely disappeared from the court as the Kazakh stormed past the next two sets to complete a 3-6 6-1 6-0 win.
Rybakina went 3-0 up in the second set before the Pole served out the fourth game to get on the board in the second set. The 2022 Wimbledon champion then registered the next nine games of the match.
For Swiatek, it was certainly a baffling loss, mainly due to the fact that she dominated Keys and also made a strong start against the Kazakh before everything went south.
Swiatek: I cannot allow myself to overanalyze what happened… I’ll try to occupy my mind with other things
“Rybakina was more aggressive and solid in finishing rallies. I need to watch this match again to understand everything, but also not overanalyze it. I’m trying to occupy my mind with other things between matches. Right now, I’m watching Game of Thrones,” the six-time Grand Slam champion said after her defeat.
Meanwhile, here is what Rbyakina said about her comeback.
“I feel like she started the match really well and I was a little bit slow, so on serve straight away, she broke me. It was difficult to be down, but in the second set, I pushed myself. My serve improved, and I’m really happy that I stepped in and played better each point. I’m very happy with my performance,” the Kazakh reflected.
On Tuesday, Swiatek will take on Amanda Anisimova, who also has a 1-1 record at the WTA Finals. The winner of the match will join Rybakina in the Riyadh semifinal, while the loser goes home.
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Carlos Alcaraz must overcome a mental obstacle to shine at the ATP Finals
It’s no secret that Carlos Alcaraz’s game is less impactful indoors than in other conditions and his results prove it, although he won his first indoor title just this year at the Rotterdam ATP 500. The Spanish ace – who missed the Rolex Shanghai Masters to fully recover from the left ankle injury he suffered in Tokyo – was hoping to get a good result at the Paris Masters 1000 last week, so as to ensure the certainty of ending the year at the top of the ATP rankings.
However, Carlitos’ performance against British player Cameron Norrie was disastrous in all respects and the 22-year-old from Murcia left the tournament already in the second round. As if that were not enough, the title at the ‘Défense Arena’ was won by his huge rival Jannik Sinner who overtook him at the top of the ranking a few days before the start of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
This means that – if the Italian ace lifts the trophy again at the year-end Masters – Alcaraz will have to win at least three matches in Turin to end 2025 as number 1. He is practicing very hard these days to improve his game in indoor conditions and arrives in Turin in excellent shape, after he was eliminated already in the round robin in the last edition.
Alcaraz prepares for Turin
In a recent interview with ‘Eurosport’, former world number 1 Justine Henin analysed Carlos’ difficulties in indoor conditions in detail: “I think he has doubts when he plays indoors again, he’s not confident enough. In theory he would have the potential to play excellent tennis there too, but he has to overcome the mental obstacle that is limiting him.
He will have to manage the fatigue he has accumulated well and play without too much pressure, knowing that he has never particularly shone at the ATP Finals up to this point in his career. In addition, his main rival Sinner expresses his best tennis in these conditions.”
The ATP Finals will be staged at the Inalpi Arena from 9 to 16 November.
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