Iga Swiatek's "Roller Coaster" in the 2025 Season

Although still having an agenda to compete in the women's team championship of the Billie Jean King Cup, playoff phase, Iga Swiatek has concluded her journey in the 2025 WTA Tour competition. Her exit came earlier than other athletes, who still have a chance at the championship, as she was eliminated in the group stage.

The defeat to Amanda Anisimova with a score of 7-6 (3), 4-6, 2-6 at the King Saud University Indoor Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday (5/11/2025), ensured that Swiatek was eliminated from the end-of-season tournament. The WTA Finals are only attended by the eight best players based on their performances throughout 2025.

Swiatek failed to advance to the semifinals as she only ranked third in the Serena Williams Group out of four participants. She was positioned below Elena Rybakina and Anisimova, the top two ranks, who are entitled to continue their journey to the semifinals. Swiatek held that position after losing twice (to Anisimova and Rybakina) and only winning against Madison Keys.

The other two semifinalists, from the Steffi Graf Group, were determined through two matches on Thursday night, between Aryna Sabalenka and Cori "Coco" Gauff, as well as Jessica Pegula against Jasmine Paolini. From the matches they have played, Sabalenka leads with two wins, followed by Coco, Pegula, and Paolini.

The results obtained by Swiatek from the WTA Final 2025 are the same as the previous year. However, like a roller coaster track, her journey this season has been marked by more ups and downs.

A decline in performance can at least be observed from the win-loss comparison statistics over the last four seasons. The 2025 season, with 62 wins and 17 losses (78 percent), which resulted in three championship titles, represents the worst percentage compared to 2022-2024.

In 2024, Swiatek was also ranked below Sabalenka in the world rankings at the end of the year, yet she managed to win five tournaments. She recorded a result of 64 wins and nine losses (88 percent).

Swiatek's best years, competing in the professional tennis arena since 2016, were in 2022 and 2023. She dominated the competition in 2022 with an 88 percent win rate and eight championship titles. In 2023, this Polish player won six tournaments with an 86 percent win rate. Her consistent performance at the highest level is also reflected in her status as the top-ranked player in the world at the end of 2022 and 2023.

In 2025, Swiatek not only faced difficulties at the WTA Finals tournament. Signs of struggle had been evident since the beginning of the year, including when entering the competition on clay courts, which is usually a comfort zone for the 24-year-old tennis player. She was unable to reach the finals in four tournaments between April and June and failed to defend her championship titles at major events: WTA 1000 Madrid, Rome, and the Grand Slam French Open.

Hope emerged on the grass courts that often serve as a thick wall difficult for Swiatek to penetrate. She reached the WTA Bad Homburg final and won Wimbledon. This title marked her first in a year following her victory at the 2024 French Open.

With the trophy shaped like a plate from Wimbledon, Swiatek has obtained six Grand Slam titles. This fan of Rafael Nadal has become the second active tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles after Venus Williams, who has seven titles.

After Wimbledon, her performance fluctuated again as the competition resumed on hard courts. She won the WTA 1000 Cincinnati, but lost in the quarterfinals of the US Open Grand Slam.

During the Asia Tour, Swiatek won the WTA 500 in Seoul, then was eliminated in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 in Beijing and the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 in Wuhan. She took advantage of the two-week break to compete in the WTA Finals with intensive training in her hometown, Warsaw, Poland, but with results that did not meet expectations. Anisimova is the player whom Swiatek defeated in the Wimbledon final with a score of 6-0, 6-0.

Swiatek has displayed increasingly evident weaknesses that are often visible this season. The high expectations and the harsh attitude directed towards herself have backfired. The player, who was initially known for her calm demeanor, having been accompanied by a psychologist since her teenage years, can no longer control her emotions.

She repeatedly vented her anger during matches by yelling and even returning the ball to the ball boy by bouncing it as hard as she could on the court. Swiatek, once a darling on the court, received widespread criticism from tennis fans for her emotional behavior.

When she never displayed a negative attitude on the court during 2022-2023, Swiatek was not without pressure. In 2023, she shared with Roger Federer about the pressures faced by the world's number one tennis player. Swiatek feared losing that position, making it difficult for her to focus solely on the matches.

This year, Swiatek seems to have lost control even though she has had a positive side since being accompanied by Wim Fisette (former coach of Naomi Osaka) in October 2024. Swiatek believes that she can play more solidly on fast-paced courts, including grass courts, and also has a better serve.

"This season is marked by more ups and downs in terms of tournament results. Although I have more experience, there are also various factors that present new challenges, and I have to adapt to that," said Swiatek, evaluating herself for 2025.

Reflecting on her experiences throughout 2025, Swiatek will attempt a different approach for the upcoming season, particularly in organizing her tournament schedule. She does not want to be tied to mandatory tournaments that could result in penalties for non-participation.

"I will arrange the agenda according to my own needs. Let's see if this approach can keep my mental state intact or not, as I will be missing the tournament while other players compete," he said. (REUTERS)