Iga Swiatek was brutally honest when assessing her shock Paris Olympics semifinal loss to Zheng Qinwen, acknowledging that there was “a hole” in her backhand that the Chinese exploited and also revealing that she wasn’t a fan of playing matches daily because it was hampering her preparation.
On Thursday, world No. 7 Zheng became the first player since Maria Sakkari in 2021 to beat Swiatek on the clay courts of Roland Garros after ousting the four-time French Open champion 6-2 7-5.
Considering how dominant Swiatek has been at Roland Garros over the last couple of years, she entered the Zheng match as a huge favorite although the 2024 Australian Open finalist is also having a big year. But right from the start of the match, something was just off in Swiatek’s game and it all culminated in the world No. 1 blasting a stunning 36 unforced errors.
After the match, Swiatek was seen bursting into tears during one TV interview and that’s where she reflected on what happened on the court.
Swiatek on the reasons behind the loss to Zheng
“Without any doubts. In fact she played… I just had a hole in my backhand. It happens rarely because it is usually my most solid strike. I was not technically well positioned…
