Iga Swiatek was told to learn to manage her emotions better after her angry episode at the 2025 Indian Wells Open.
Swiatek is still one of the best players in the world, but she has struggled a lot in recent months. In fact, the Polish player hasn’t won a trophy since her triumph at last year’s Roland Garros. That means it’s been almost a year since she last won a title.
That’s something that the former World No. 1 player wasn’t used to previously. Swiatek won eight titles in 2022, six in 2023, and five last year. This year, the number of titles next to her name still states zero, even though she played in the semi-finals at the Australian Open, in Doha, and in Indian Wells, which are good results.
During her last tournament, which was the WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells, Swiatek also showed plenty of frustration during her semi-final loss to Mirra Andreeva.
At one moment, Swiatek slammed the ball in rage, almost hitting a ball boy. It was an ugly moment, which led to a lot of conversation online. Swiatek even apologized for it in a long statement.
That still didn’t stop former WTA World No. 1 player and legend of the sport Martina Navratilova from criticizing the Polish player for her recent behavior.
Navratilova previewed the upcoming Miami Open for the WTA. The former American player said that she likes the Miami Open because it’s her home tournament. The Czech-born ex-player resides in Miami, Florida, United States.
“It's my home tournament. I’ll drop the kids off at school and then go to work — the Tennis Channel early shift. How's that for a commute? Julia will be picking them up.”
Speaking about Swiatek, the 68-year-old said that, according to her, the Polish player will need to manage her emotions better if she wants to succeed at the WTA 1000 event in Miami, which Swiatek won in 2022.
“She showed moments of frustration and directed some of it toward her team. While it's unclear what was being said, she'll need to manage those emotions better, as she can be highly agitated at times.”
Navratilova also observed that Swiatek seems to be struggling with confidence, which then triggers episodes of frustration.
“She seems to be struggling with confidence, which can lead to frustration when things don't go her way. Her game is still there, but maintaining a positive mindset will be key. But let’s not forget, she has been the most successful player overall for the past few years and has won this event.”
Although Navratilova probably correctly analyzed how Swiatek looked on the courts in the last few months, she also probably received a response from the Polish player in her latest statement.
Before Navratilova’s comments, Swiatek said that when she shows no emotions, she’s called a robot and when she does show some emotion, she’s, on the other hand, told that she’s hysterical. That statement could likely serve as a response to what Navratilova said.
