After the French Open, it started to seem as though Iga Swiatek had started to lose her grip on the sport. She was ousted from Wimbledon in the quarterfinal. She would go on to lose more tournaments in the final stages, and many assumed she would fall further. But there was a small window for her return to the top, which she squeezed past gloriously.

Tracy Austin, former Number 1 and American Hall of Famer is a big fan of Swiatek. She saw her decline and got worried about her career. But watching her rise delighted her more than anyone.

American Hall of Famer details how Iga Swiatek returns to the top

Although she won the Poland Open, Swiatek would struggle for the two following masters tournaments and the US Open. She was ousted from the final stages of each tournament, also losing her position at rank 1, breaking a streak of 75 consecutive weeks. Tracy Austin saw her fall and remembered the moment, which showed that she would come back. She called her bout against Caroline Garcia in the Beijing Open the turnaround. 

Austin further explained, “Iga lost the first set 7-6 (8) and then barely won the second in another tiebreaker, 7-6 (5). That narrow margin flipped her switch, and from there, Iga’s confidence soared. She won the third set 6-1—and didn’t lose another set the rest of the year.

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Additionally, she talked about how Swiatek took back her spot at rank 1. “She won Beijing and then completely dominated the WTA Finals, with five straight wins over Top 7 players—including five 6-0 or 6-1 sets. That was a major statement to finish the year.“

As Austin saw the return of the Polish star, the player herself found herself emotional. In the match after Garcia’s, she achieved a big victory, which prompted her to share a message of hope with the world.

Swiatek’s message of hope for the world

After defeating Garcia, Swiatek had to step up to the semifinal to face Coco Gauff, whom she had lost against the last time they played. However, the Polish star played against her with a bulletproof strategy and won the match with no difficulty. After her win, she said that she will always remember that even if she is facing difficult times, she needs to remember in her mind that the situation can be overcome. 

Swiatek had faced a difficult few months and couldn’t help but choke up during the speech. She would go on to perform even better and hand bagels and breadsticks to many players in the WTA Finals. She returned to her best level, and we are bound to see the same next year as well.

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