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Iga Swiatek's 37-match win-streak ended at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, as the Pole fell in the third round to Alize Cornet in straight sets. But the biggest WTA unbeaten run of the 21st century was not the talk of the tournament, as the ban of Russian and Belarusian tennis players from SW19 became the centerpiece of the event instead.
Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine that took place earlier, the All England Club decided to prevent players from Russia and Belarus from playing at the Grass Major, leaving out the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Victoria Azarenka, and others.
Understandably, Wimbledon received a lot of flak from tennis players and fans around the world for its decision, especially after the ATP-WTA joint decision to strip the tournament of ranking points made the year-end rankings all the more chaotic.
Swiatek's coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, on the other hand, gave his controversial take on the situation in a recent interview with Rzeczpospolita, stating that he personally agreed with the "firm" decision from higher-ups at Wimbledon.
The three-time Grand Slam champion's coach further revealed that among Russians, Daria Kasatkina was the only player who regularly practiced with Iga Swiatek on tour.
"Personally, I think Wimbledon did the right thing by treating tennis players from Russia and Belarus firmly. Daria Kasatkina is the only player from that part of the world with whom I talk at all," Wiktorowski said. "Just like her trainer. We are not friends, we do not spend time together, but we do not shy away from each other, quite the opposite. We train with her as the only Russian woman."
When asked if the Russians and Belaruisans were ostracized because of the war, the Pole answered in the negative, stating that the tour took it "very softly." Pointing to how the WTA pulled out of China due to Peng Shuai's sexual assault allegations, Wiktorowski wondered why the same firm approach was not lent to Russia.
"The tour took it very softly. Tough decisions should be made earlier. Now that's mustard after dinner. As WTA, we stopped going to China because of the Shuai Peng case, but how does that compare to what's happening now in Ukraine?" Wiktorowski said. "What happened in February deserved a much stronger response. Iga also communicated her beliefs on the war in Ukraine many times."
"The level is so even that many girls can make Iga Swiatek's life miserable" - Tomasz Wiktorowski
Tomasz Wiktorowski also touched on the status of the WTA Tour at the moment, stating that there were many talented players who could make Iga Swiatek's life miserable on their best days. At the same time, the Pole remarked that it was hard to predict what might happen in the future, pointing to Caroline Garcia's resurgency and Naomi Osaka's drop in form as examples.
"The level is so even that many girls can make Iga Swiatek's life miserable. Not everything can be predicted. Who would have thought that the Frenchwoman Carolina Garcia could still play like this... Naomi Osaka? Maybe she'll come back," Wiktorowski said. "There aren't many girls who can afford a great game unless they follow the path of business tennis, which has affected Osaka and Raducanu."
