In a stunning upset at the 2025 Italian Open, Iga Swiatek, the reigning champion and world No. 2, suffered a crushing third-round defeat to American Danielle Collins, falling 6-1, 7-5 in a match that exposed vulnerabilities in her clay-court game. The loss, one of Swiatek’s earliest at a major WTA event in nearly four years, marked a continuation of her title drought, which has now stretched to a year since her 2024 Roland Garros triumph. In a tense post-match press conference, the 23-year-old Pole delivered a series of blunt and introspective responses, revealing her struggles with focus, form, and expectations as she faces a pivotal moment in her career just weeks before defending her French Open title.
The match against Collins, a 31-year-old veteran ranked No. 35, was a stark departure from Swiatek’s dominant 7-1 head-to-head record against her. From the outset, Swiatek appeared out of sync, her serve faltering as she landed just 39 percent of first serves in the opening set. Collins capitalized, breaking Swiatek’s serve four times in a one-sided 6-1 first set. Despite flashes of brilliance in the second set, where Swiatek saved a match point with a blistering backhand and leveled the score at 4-4, her 22 unforced errors and inability to sustain momentum allowed Collins to seal the victory in one hour and 44 minutes. Collins, reflecting on her win, noted, “I played Iga so many times. When you play that many close matches and get this close and also play some of your best tennis and lose, I think you learn a lot. I feel like I applied that today.”
Swiatek’s press conference was a masterclass in raw honesty, as she grappled with the weight of her defeat. When asked what she was processing on the court, she admitted, “For sure, it hasn’t been easy. I’m doing something wrong. So I need to just regroup and change some stuff.” Her frustration was palpable as she acknowledged her mental lapses, stating, “I think I just wasn’t there, present to, like, fight and to compete. I focused on mistakes. It’s my mistake, and I’m not doing things right.” These candid admissions highlighted a player wrestling with self-doubt, a stark contrast to the confidence that propelled her to three Italian Open titles in the last four years.
The defeat carries significant consequences. Swiatek, who has lost nine matches in 2025—matching her total for all of 2024—will drop to at least No. 4 in the WTA rankings, ending a 1,161-day streak in the top three. This slide comes on the heels of a lopsided 6-1, 6-1 loss to Coco Gauff in the Madrid Open semifinals, raising concerns about her form on clay, her strongest surface. With Roland Garros looming, where she has won four of her five Grand Slam titles, Swiatek dismissed comparisons to other players who have rebounded at their favorite tournaments. “I don’t care what other people had. There’s no point to compare,” she snapped, adding, “It doesn’t matter what feelings I get. Every year is different.”
Swiatek’s struggles have been compounded by off-court challenges, including a one-month suspension in late 2024 following a positive doping test, which drew international scrutiny. While she has parted ways with parts of her team, she leaned on her sports psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, for support. “We talked and came to some conclusions,” Swiatek said, hinting at a plan to shift her mindset. Yet, her outlook for Roland Garros was strikingly pessimistic: “Obviously it would be stupid to expect a lot because I’m not able to play my game right now.” This uncharacteristic lack of confidence underscores the mental toll of her recent setbacks.
Despite the loss, Swiatek’s earlier rounds in Rome showed glimpses of her potential. She opened her campaign with a 6-0, 6-1 rout of Italian wildcard Elisabetta Cocciaretto, winning 28 of 35 service points in just 52 minutes. That performance, her 18th straight-set win in 19 Rome matches, suggested a return to form. However, Collins exposed the fragility of Swiatek’s game under pressure, a concern as she prepares for Paris.
As Swiatek regroups, the tennis world watches closely. Her ability to reset mentally and tactically will determine whether she can reclaim her clay-court dominance or if her title drought will extend further. For now, the Pole’s blunt reflections reveal a champion at a crossroads, determined to find answers amid one of the toughest stretches of her career.
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