Iga Swiatek's heartfelt reflections on her performance during the Middle East swing have drawn cheers from tennis fans.
Following her shock third round exit from the Australian Open, Swiatek bounced back strongly at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open, clinching her third consecutive title in Doha by triumphing over Elena Rybakina in the final.
The Pole carried her imperious form into the Dubai Tennis Championships as well, beating the likes of Sloane Stephens, Elina Svitolina, and Zheng Qinwen in dominant fashion. However, she fell short of clinching the WTA 1000 title, losing to Anna Kalinskaya in the semifinals.
Taking to social media, Iga Swiatek shared her thoughts on her results during the Middle East swing. Despite her seven-match winning streak ending in Dubai, the World No. 1 focused on the positives of her campaign, expressing pride in her performance across both WTA 1000 events.
"So…my main thought is that I enjoyed the challenge and solving problems but now I’m glad to have some time to recover. Intense two tournaments, resilience, focus, some quality matches and great fights," Iga Swiatek wrote.
"Overall I’m proud of myself and my team for these few weeks post-Melbourne. We did our best, I performed well, kept my standards high and I’m looking forward to sunny California," she added.
The 22-year-old also graciously commended Dubai champion Jasmine Paolini and runner-up Anna Kalinskaya on their impressive runs at the tournament.
"And let me say this again, what a week for Jasmine and Anna. Excited to see more players having deep runs and performing well," the Pole wrote.
Tennis fans were delighted by Iga Swiatek's touching and candid message, emphasizing their admiration for the Pole.
"She is way too good for this world," a fan posted.
"The best ambassador of tennis. Always give a positive, caring image towards her peers. An inspiration and a model. Always think of others.... Iga you are unique, inimitable. A pride for Iganation. Your kindness is a strength. Never change," another fan chimed in.
Meanwhile, other fans joked about Swiatek emulating Naomi Osaka by mimicking her habit of using the Apple Notes app to share messages.
"OOP she wanna be Naomi bad," a fan commented.
"There can only be one apple notes queen!!" another fan wrote.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Iga Swiatek on Dubai SF exit: "I'm angry but there aren't many players that actually survive these kinds of tournaments"
Iga Swiatek was on the hunt for her second consecutive WTA 1000 title at the Dubai Tennis Championships. However, Anna Kalinskaya dashed the Pole's hopes in the semifinals, pulling off a commanding 6-4, 6-4 victory.
Following her loss, the World No. 1 admitted to feeling a sense of anger but emphasized her determination to swiftly move on from the defeat.
"I mean I'm angry but on the other hand, there aren't many players that actually survive these kinds of tournaments so I just kind of have to let it go and accept it," Iga Swiatek said in her post-match press conference.
Swiatek also expressed frustration with her level of play during the clash, lamenting her inability to execute her tactics effectively against Kalinskaya.
"Today I would say, I mean she [Anna Kalinskaya] played well and for sure she deserves to be in the final, but I feel like it was more about me and my level. I wanted to be focused on myself and I wasn’t really able to implement any tactics that I had," she added.
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