Iga Świątek’s opening loss at the Miami Open to former world No. 19 Magda Linette has recently garnered concern from the latter’s coach, Polish icon Agnieszka Radwańska. The former world No. 2, who joined Linette’s coaching team in 2024, also reflected on how to diffuse the critical views following Świątek’s heavy loss.
Agnieszka Radwańska Sheds Light on Iga Świątek’s Tough Times After Miami Loss
Świątek had entered the WTA 1000 Miami Open as the second seed after finishing her run at Indian Wells, where she lost the quarterfinal to Elina Svitolina. Before this, she competed at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, advancing to the quarterfinals in both.
The 2022 Miami Open champion was set to clash against Linette in the round of 64 at the Hard Rock Stadium and, in a startling result, lost the match with a concluding scoreline of 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 10 minutes. With the bitter defeat, Świątek also ended her 73-match opening win streak dating back to 2021.
The significance and aftermath of the loss endured by the Polish sensation were clearly grasped by Radwańska, who, in her career, won 20 WTA Tour singles titles and two doubles titles, among other feats. The 2012 Wimbledon Championship finalist, in an interview with CANAL+SPORT, shared her thoughts, noting that she has been in the same situation as an elite star.
Radwańska shared, adding that the situation doesn’t need urgent scrutiny, “I understand this perfectly, I know and see what’s happening from years of experience. I urge everyone to calm down a bit. Don’t hate every time she lose a match, because it’s not the end of the world.”
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Radwańska further continued about how Świątek can navigate such setbacks and that many factors are responsible for performing well on court, adding, “There will always be these moments. The question is how we’ll recover from them, so there are probably many things I would change and advise Iga.”
“But I think television isn’t the platform for this. It’s not just a matter of the day of the week. Is it just a process, and many things have to align off the court for things to be good on the court, especially in professional tennis, where we spend years on the court, and it gets increasingly difficult?”
While respectfully admiring the six-time Grand Slam champion, Radwańska further mentioned, “Iga is a workhorse, and the way she works, is a huge respect, I absolutely wish her the best. I hope she recovers quickly, and in reality, give me some space to calm down. This, I think, right now, it’s probably her worst time. When it comes to her entire career.”
Linette is set to battle Filipino star Alexandra Eala in the round of 32, and as per PFSN’s interactive tennis predictor, she has a 44% chance of taking the win.
