“I didn’t even have a plan B because nothing was working today.” Former World No.1 and five-time slam queen Iga Swiatek failed to explain her unexpected debacle in Madrid this week. American Coco Gauff handed the defending champion of the event a double breadstick (6-1, 6-1) in the SF round, before entering the summit clash to face Aryna Sabalenka. The Pole was devastated by this outcome. So much so that she was even seen in tears during the match while failing to “get my level up.” As if this unfortunate result wasn’t enough, a new rumor over her remaining 2025 season has drawn ire from fans, especially considering the prospects of her Wimbledon campaign. Why so?

For the uninitiated, Swiatek has been doing great in Madrid over the last two seasons. In 2023, she reached the final, but World No.1 Sabalenka bested her. Last year, Iga avenged the loss and beat Sabalenka in the summit clash to lift the trophy. In 2025’s edition, she was looking in great touch to win a second straight title in Madrid until she faced Gauff on Thursday. The American, who won her previous two meetings against the Pole, completed the hat-trick of victories and dominated the semifinal battle.

What was surprising to witness, however, was a wild rumor that surfaced online following Swiatek’s Madrid Open debacle. According to Polish outlet Przeglad Sportowy, it appears Swiatek may take a long break from tennis in case she fails to impress at the Italian Open and the Roland Garros. The latter is where she’s shone the most, having won the trophy four times in the last five seasons.

If the new rumor is anything to go by, she may stop playing for an extended period, should she fail to defend the French Open title. Moreover, the Pole may eventually skip the grass court season too, in order to fully focus on the US Open.

Clearly, her chances of not appearing at Wimbledon – her least favorite slam – look certain. At least according to the Polish website’s claim. And it may eventually be true, considering her track record at the All England Club. It’s the only major tournament where she’s never even reached the semis from five overall campaigns.

Even fans know this well and are now questioning her inability to perform on grass. By her own admission, the preferred surface is clay, and she’s not “going to give up that. Ever.” On the other hand, the grass has been an unsolved mystery for her.

This season, she’s yet to reach a final of any WTA event, let alone a slam. At the Australian Open, she reached the SF stage before Madison Keys stunned her in a thrilling encounter. While she’s been through the QF stages of most tournaments, Swiatek has failed to lift a single trophy in 2025.

Fans highlight Iga Swiatek’s grass court weakness as a rumor suggests absence from the 2025 Wimbledon

After the latest rumor began to catch pace on social media, several fans expressed their ire. Of course, they knew Iga Swiatek would try to skip Wimbledon and the grass court. One user wrote, “Makes sense. She knows she’s terrible on the surface and will most likely lose… preparing for the USTA leg, YE finals and AO Open makes more sense.” Compared to Wimbledon, the Pole has performed well on the hard court in the US Open. In 2022, she clinched the title after defeating Ons Jabeur in straight sets.

It’s quite interesting to observe that Swiatek, somehow, can’t excel at SW19, especially considering that she’s previously won the Girls’ Wimbledon Juniors title, back in 2o18. “I feel like I’m playing better and better every match, and I’m actually getting more confidence because I have been on a grass court for some time now. I’m practising a lot during my free days,” Swiatek said back in 2021 after losing in the R16 against Jabeur.

Meanwhile, other users chimed in, criticizing Swiatek’s underwhelming grass-court run at the All England Club. “She’s not good on grass anyway”, wrote an individual. Another fan noted, “I have watched her play on grass and she is not going to win Wimbledon anytime soon. Shades of Lendl in the 1980s…”

They threw light on how the ex-ATP icon Ivan Lendl was unable to dominate the grass court at Wimbledon. He won the rest of the three majors, except the ‘all-white’ event. Here, he reached the final twice, in 1986 and 1987, but failed on both occasions. First, he lost the trophy to German legend Boris Becker and then to Aussie icon Pat Cash a year later.

Meanwhile, one user simply wrote, “She’s not a grass player anyway so…” while reflecting on the fact that Iga usually dominates on clay. Since 2022, she’s won three back-to-back French Open titles, thus proving this point. In Wimbledon, her best run came in 2023 when she reached the QF before Elina Svitolina edged her out (7-5, 6-7, 6-2). Last year, she couldn’t move past R64 after Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva beat her with a score line of 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Another user commented, “She always skips grass. Even when she is playing on it.”

What are your thoughts on the latest rumor surrounding the five-time slam queen? Will she really skip Wimbledon to solely focus on New York? Let us know in the comments below.