Q: You know Iga, every player loses matches, and especially in a tournament like this, where there's just the top eight players. Do you feel like you've gotten better this year at sort of handling disappointments, because they're gonna come?
IGA SWIATEK: It depends. But honestly, I did everything I could today, so, like, no regrets. I felt like, I mean, really, in the zone, like I I had, you know, a positive mindset. Okay, maybe some balls went short or something, but tennis is not like, it's not gonna be perfect.
So like, I fought, and I really didn't give up. It wasn't enough, which makes me sad. But like, we all need to, like, find some understanding, I guess because when you do everything and it's still not enough, I guess it means that you just need to get your tennis better. But I felt good mentally, physically and tennis wise. It was nice looking at the conditions and everything. So, so I don't really get why I couldn't go out of the group. I don't know, maybe I won too much in last year and this is karma. It's really hard for me to say. It feels kind of weird. It's not like I'm expecting, but from my experiences, if I put, like, so much intensity and grit and, and I care that much, usually it kind of paid off. So, so we'll see if I keep working, if it's gonna payoff or not.
Swiatek certainly enjoyed good karma this summer as she rocketed back up the rankings from a June low of No. 8, not only winning Wimbledon but also storming to the Cincinnati Open title on the eve of the US Open.
In position to wrest the No. 1 ranking back from Sabalenka in 2026, there may be more good karma coming for the six-time Grand Slam champion next season.
