Polish star and World No. 2 Iga Świątek recently explained why she missed Elena Rybakina’s title-winning run but chose to watch Carlos Alcaraz’s triumph after her early exit from the Australian Open. The revelation came during a press conference ahead of her return to action at the 2026 Qatar Open.
Iga Świątek Reveals Why She Tuned In for Carlos Alcaraz’s Australian Open Win but Not for Elena Rybakina’s
Świątek opened her 2026 campaign at the Australian Open and appeared well on course for a maiden title in Melbourne, which would have marked her seventh Grand Slam triumph. She carried her momentum seamlessly through the early rounds, easing past Yue Yuan and Marie Bouzková in straight sets. The Pole was tested by Anna Kalinskaya in the third round but prevailed in three sets before cruising past Maddison Inglis to seal her place comfortably.
However, the six-time Grand Slam champion saw her Melbourne run end at the hands of Elena Rybakina, who won 7-5, 6-1 to claim her sixth career victory over the Pole. Meanwhile, Rybakina went on to defeat Jessica Pegula and then World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to seal her second Grand Slam title.
Ahead of the start of her Qatar campaign, Świątek addressed the media and was asked whether she watches tournament finals after being eliminated, either in the early or later rounds. The Pole revealed that she skipped Rybakina’s final against Sabalenka but did tune in to the men’s final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, later explaining her reasoning.
“No, I only watched the men’s final live. But besides that, I really needed to rest from tennis a little bit. So I analyzed what happened during my match, but I didn’t watch because I knew exactly what happened. It was pretty clear what I needed to focus on in the next tournament,” she said.
Alcaraz capped off a historic Australian Open campaign by defeating Djokovic in the final, lifting his seventh Grand Slam title. The victory at Melbourne Park also marked his 25th ATP Tour title, achieved in just his 86th main-draw appearance. At 22 years and 272 days, the Spaniard became the youngest male player to complete a career Grand Slam, eclipsing Don Budge’s long-standing record from 1938.
Meanwhile, Świątek once again fell short in her bid to conquer the Australian Open, a title that continues to elude her. Undeterred, the six-time Grand Slam champion will now shift her focus to the WTA 1000 event in Qatar, aiming to regain momentum and set the tone for the remainder of the season.
