‘She Seemed a Little Off’ – 64-Year-Old American Tennis Legend Raises Questions on ‘Irritable’ Iga Swiatek’s French Open Defense Despite Her Confident Start

Published 05/31/2023, 5:20 PM EDT

Iga Swiatek, the world No. 1 and reigning French Open champion recently impressed fans worldwide with her incredible win. She began her Roland Garros campaign with a strong victory against Cristina Bucsa in the opening round of the French Open. However, Eurosport’s John McEnroe was present at the tournament and voiced his concern about Swiatek’s seemingly irritable performance on the court.

The American veteran noted that the pressure of winning every tournament may be taking a toll on her mental state. When Swiatek faced a break point at 4-4 in the first set, she rose to the occasion. She rebounded to advance to the second round, exuding the confidence required to defend her title.

John McEnroe talks about the irritated Iga Swiatek in a recent interview

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With her recent win, Iga Swiatek made a mark on the clay courts of Roland Garros. McEnroe shared his observations on Swiatek’s contest. The American veteran spoke that the Polish player seemed “a little off” in the beginning, and revealed an underlying irritability.

Swiatek displayed exceptional strength and composure during her first-round match. However, the heightened expectations placed on her shoulders this year by fans and the media alike could be the reason behind the occasional outbursts of emotion. According to EuroSport, McEnroe shared, “She [Swiatek] seemed a little off in the beginning, but I don’t think she was stressing a whole lot. She looked slightly irritable.”

According to McEnroe, Swiatek is experiencing increased pressure this year. He thinks that the situation is due to the high expectations placed upon her to win every tournament. He also highlighted the rise of players like Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka. McEnroe said, “Otherwise, I’d pick Iga to win this on the clay. In these dry, slippery conditions, they might help a big hitter like Rybakina or Sabalenka.”

McEnroe expressed the belief that if Swiatek doesn’t come out on top, it is likely to be one of these players who can outplay her on the court.

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He also added, “..she’s the best movers that I’ve ever seen, up with Serena [Williams] and Kim Clijsters, the all-time great movers.”

A few days ago, Swiatek talked about the irritable pay gap

Swiatek recently voiced her opinion on pay gap diversity and how it can be ameliorated. She is convinced that tennis holds much promise for establishing equality between men and women. Swiatek expressed her belief that Grand Slams already provide equal prize money. However, tournaments of lesser standings could still do more in this direction. Contrarily, some argued that women’s tennis is not as good and consistent as men’s. Swiatek countered this view by revealing that, recently, women’s tennis has been even steadier than the male version.

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Watch this story – ‘I Didn’t Have Any Money – Serena Williams Once Revealed an Incident About How Venus Williams Helped Her Out

Swiatek recently pocketed 100,000 euros in prize money, however, Carlos Alcaraz took home a hefty 475,000 euros, at the Stuttgart Open. This gap stands as testimony to the issue yet to be remedied.

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Written by:

Aditya Menon is a Tennis Writer at EssentiallySports, covering several high-profile tournaments and events. With a passion for writing that matches his love for the sport, he has a special interest in covering the activities of tennis legends like Serena Williams and the ‘Big Three’ of men’s tennis. Aditya’s interest in tennis started at a young age when his father introduced him to the sport.

Edited by:

Tony Thomas

‘She Seemed a Little Off’ – 64-Year-Old American Tennis Legend Raises Questions on ‘Irritable’ Iga Swiatek’s French Open Defense Despite Her Confident Start

John McEnroe talks about the irritated Iga Swiatek in a recent interview

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A few days ago, Swiatek talked about the irritable pay gap