Iga Świątek dropped out of the WTA’s top two for the first time in three years following a disappointing third-round loss at the Italian Open. A semifinal exit at the 2025 French Open saw her fall to seventh due to her inability to defend her winners’ points from 2024. With the Pole’s ongoing title drought and a significant ranking slide, concerns around her current form mount.
Amid Świątek’s bid for a comeback, tennis great Jimmy Connors offered crucial advice, urging her to block out external noise.
Jimmy Connors Believes Iga Świątek Doesn’t Need to “Listen to Anybody” Amid Struggles
Świątek enjoyed a strong first half last season, winning five titles, including a dominant run on clay with victories in Madrid, Rome, and the French Open. However, she hasn’t won a title since, despite several deep runs. Her best results this year have been semifinal finishes at the Australian Open, Qatar Open, BNP Paribas Open, Madrid Open, and French Open.
Considering her title drought and ranking drop, Connors advised the former World No. 1 to ignore outside criticism, saying every player experiences ups and downs.
“She needs to not listen to anybody now. The outside criticism, the outside voices who think they know. She is got to stay within herself and her team and work this out. Everybody goes through that, all the players, no matter who. You go through, your game has fallen off, you can’t compete anymore, you were the best at one time, past tense,” he said in a recent episode of the Advantage Connors podcast.
The 72-year-old added that Świątek needs clarity and focus to regain her top form.
“She has got a clear mind from all of that too, and do whatever it takes to take care of herself to get her game and her mind back to being number one. Once you taste that, being No. 1, you never lose that flavor,” he added.
Jimmy Connors Shares Career Lessons to Encourage Iga Świątek
Later in the podcast, Connors recalled how legends like Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver, and himself also faced slumps but stressed the importance of climbing back to the top.
“As long as somebody like that, who has had that is in the game, she will always strive to be what she was. We all at one time were, I was this, she was that, Borg was, Laver was, Gonzalez was. But it’s those who were and then get back to what they wanna be, which is No. 1 that the satisfaction really settles in,” he said.
Although Świątek is yet to win a title this season, she has maintained a solid record, winning 32 of her 42 matches. The former World No. 1 now turns her attention to the grass-court swing leading up to Wimbledon — the only Major she has yet to win
