“Angry and tired”: Iga Swiatek dealing with upset loss against Kalinskaya
The world No 1 couldn’t summon the energy to turn it round against unseeded Anna Kalinskaya in Dubai
Iga Swiatek in Dubai in 2024 (Imago/Panoramic)
It’s not often you see Iga Swiatek lose her composure, but en route to her semi-final defeat in Dubai against Anna Kalinskaya she got a warning on the court for racquet abuse.
As she sent a straightforward return into the net at 6-4, 1-0 down, she threw her racquet to the ground in frustration.
And she admitted afterwards that she was cross to exit the tournament 6-4, 6-4.
“I mean, I’m angry but on the other hand, there aren’t many players that actually survive these kinds of tournaments so I just kind of have to let it go and accept it,” she said in her press conference afterwards.
“Today I would say, I mean she [Kalinskaya] played well and for sure she deserves to be in the final, but I feel like it was more about me and my level. I wanted to be focused on myself and I wasn’t really able to implement any tactics that I had.”
Reflecting more on her own physical condition, she explained: “Usually, when I tell myself what to do, I can improve my game but today I was so out of power and tired that I just couldn’t. Day by day, it was a little bit worse.”
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