Swiatek revealed a surprising reason for her loss, leading to a post-match clash and a heated exchange with reporters.

This year’s US Open journey has undoubtedly been a bittersweet experience for Swiatek!

Following the early elimination of American Gauff, many expected Swiatek, known for her reliability and as the highest seed in the bottom half, to hold firm in this critical stage and gradually advance toward her second US Open championship.

Especially after she swept Russian star Alexandrova in straight sets in the round of 16 to reach the quarterfinals, fans joked seeing her potential opponents—Osaka, Anisimova, and Muchova—were all players Swiatek had defeated before, suggesting she was on a sure path to the final.

Unexpectedly, the Swiatek who was in fiery form against Alexandrova suddenly stumbled and got swept by American Anisimova, shocking the public opinion.

After the match, fans and netizens expressed confusion, wondering why Swiatek, who looked invincible in the previous round, suddenly appeared so fragile against Anisimova, saying, “Can someone explain why Swiatek seems like a completely different player before and after? What exactly happened?”

When the reason for Swiatek’s loss became a hot topic, the Polish player didn’t keep people waiting and immediately shared her explanation after the match.

“My serving throughout the US Open hasn’t been great, but mainly it was because her return game was outstanding,” Swiatek said, explaining that her serve was inconsistent from the start, which gave Anisimova opportunities and allowed the American to thrive with her excellent returns, ultimately overwhelming her.

This also indirectly explains why Swiatek’s first serve success rate was only 50%, and her second serve points won dropped to 38% during the match.

Facing an in-form Anisimova on her home turf, the pressure was high, and with a weak serve at critical moments, it became extremely difficult for Swiatek to secure a victory.

Additionally, Swiatek highlighted another factor: “I didn’t specifically practice my serve during the breaks in the match.”

After this statement was made public, some were surprised and commented that if she had addressed her serving issues earlier, the outcome against Anisimova might have been different. Now, all that remains is to “let it go and focus on the next step,” which is quite regrettable.

Although Swiatek attributes her loss partly to some pre-match mistakes, losing at such an important stage of the US Open naturally leaves her frustrated, and she won’t quickly move past this defeat. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been a post-match confrontation with reporters.

The incident between the Polish player and the journalist was indeed quite interesting.

After Swiatek’s defeat, a reporter’s questions—initially about her fatigue after playing many matches recently (Wimbledon, the North American swing before the US Open, and now the US Open), then shifting to whether she needed a mental break—seemed to be misunderstood by Swiatek, who thought the reporter had ill intentions, sparking the conflict.

When Swiatek snapped, “Then go ask whoever schedules the matches,” and retorted, “Do you need a mental break yourself?” the tension escalated immediately.

The reporter was no pushover either, refusing to back down and replying, “I do, but I have to finish this tournament.”

Swiatek ended their verbal exchange with a “Good luck,” leaving the atmosphere at the scene extremely awkward.

Many commentators later pointed out that both Swiatek and the reporter share some blame for the clash. If penalties were to be assigned, both should be reprimanded equally to uphold fairness. The implication was that if either side had exercised more restraint or courtesy, this player-reporter dispute wouldn’t have escalated to such a widely discussed controversy.

However, this episode shows how badly Swiatek felt after her loss; otherwise, she wouldn’t have caused such a stir just as she was about to leave New York, giving fans and netizens quite a surprise!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moonlight River’s Starry Sky)