Iga Swiatek felt “tired like never before” after Poland lost a Billie Jean King Cup Finals thriller against Italy but underlined that she had no regrets for coming to Malaga to represent her nation.
Since Magda Linette lost to Lucia Bronzetti in the first match of ther semifinal tie, the world No. 2 was in a must-win situation in her match against Jasmine Paolini. Although it didn’t come easily, the five-time Grand Slam champion ultimately managed to seal a 3-6 6-4 6-4 win over the world No. 4 in two hours and 38 minutes of play.
Later, Swiatek returned to the court for the deciding doubles rubber with Katarzyna Kawa. Unfortunately for the Polish team, they didn’t manage to complete their comeback after Paolini and Sara Errani won 7-5 7-5 in nearly an hour and 40 minutes of action.
Two days earlier, the 23-year-old also played in singles and doubles versus the Czech Republic and spent a total of three hours and 55 minutes on the court. On Friday, the Pole was also over two and a half hours on the court for her match against Spain’s Paula Badosa.
Ultimately, Swiatek’s efforts were enough for Poland to reach their first semifinal and make history but not more than that.
“Honestly, I think I have never been so tired before, especially after this last match we played….
