Poland’s most decorated tennis player, Iga Swiatek, was once again amid a growing controversy regarding mental health, but this time she found an unlikely and prominent defender. The row began when a well-known psychologist, Dr Ewa Woydyllo, appeared on a show named “Return” produced by the Trzeci Serwis podcast channel, where they discussed Swiatek’s recent form and how she deals with pressure at the highest level. 

In that discussion, Woydyllo shared her opinion about the six-time Grand Slam champion, which quickly went viral beyond the tennis world. “She’s emerged as such a star and has portrayed herself as such a thoughtful, mature, and intelligent girl. But she’s probably just stupid and scared. She doesn’t understand what’s happening,” she said, before going on to question the makeup of Swiatek’s support team, including her long-time psychologist Daria Abramowicz.

This provoked a strong and immediate response. One of them was the Warsaw mayor and Polish politician, Bogdan Zdrojewski, who openly and publicly supported Swiatek through social media. 

“Tennis is a difficult sport. Extremely demanding. Individual. To achieve the most important honors, one must devote oneself to this discipline completely. But it’s not just training, physical fitness. It’s also the mind. I stand firmly in defense of Iga Swiatek and express strong opposition to Ewa Woydyllo’s opinion. Every psychologist, every therapist should also remember that, even in cases of doubt, above all do no harm. And in Iga’s case, it’s worth recognizing the fantastic, extraordinarily talented, and sensitive person,” he wrote. 

Journalist and author Jacek Holub was similarly critical, posting a video response in which he questioned whether such language was ever appropriate coming from a mental health professional speaking publicly. “I’m shocked. Does psychologist Ewa Woydyllo realize how devoid of empathy and hurtful these words are? We can’t allow anyone to be verbally abused and treated with contempt. Would you like your psychologist to speak to you this way? Would you like your psychologist to speak publicly about others this way? For me, it’s a scandal,” Holub said. 

The repercussions became so strong that eventually, Trzeci Serwis pulled the entire portion from circulation and made a public apology. “We have removed the ‘Return’ segment with Ewa Woydyllo. During the production and post-production stages, we mistakenly and very naively assumed that the person speaking the words in the programme was solely responsible for them. However, after your feedback and the media’s reaction, we understood that we, in turn, bear responsibility for what content enters the tennis discourse and what level that discourse will maintain. On this front, we lost 0:6, 0:6,” the channel wrote. The statement closed with a direct apology to Swiatek, her team and her supporters.

The comments come at the toughest point of Swiatek’s career. The 25-year-old has not won a title since the Korea Open in September 2025, and has not reached a single tour-level final in 2026. The only standout performance came at the Italian Open, where she reached the semifinals, losing to Elina Svitolina in three sets. Her only Grand Slam quarterfinal came at the Australian Open, followed by early exits in Miami, a disappointing clay court season where she was expected to lift her form, and a third-round defeat to Alexandra Eala at Wimbledon, ending her title defense way early in the tournament. All of this has resulted in her falling to world No. 8, her lowest position in years. 

The Pole also parted ways with coach Wim Fissette earlier in the season, bringing in Rafael Nadal’s long-time mentor Francisco Roig, though that partnership has yet to produce a turnaround. Swiatek has been honest about the strain it has placed upon her, saying she’s attempting to detach from the results altogether and even admitted that she is not playing at her peak during this time.

Aryna Sabalenka also drew criticism in the same interview

During the same conversation, Woydyllo also directed her attention to world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka, and drew another round of online criticism for her comparison. “I don’t like men playing women’s tennis with women. And she’s just a guy,” she said of the Belarusian, a remark the show’s host attempted to soften by pointing to Sabalenka’s physical strength as an athlete.

The segment was ultimately pulled as a result of that line, and the remarks made about Swiatek. But the response from across Polish social media was overwhelmingly negative, with many claiming the discussion had somehow turned from a discussion on performance to a criticism of the players themselves, which was particularly uncomfortable given the professional background of the person commenting. 

Swiatek, who has been under a microscope for the season and has fallen short of her own expectations, has drawn more support this time from her fellow countrymen and the media, who are usually brutal on her.