Iga Swiatek blames ‘karma’ after shock WTA Finals defeat

RIYADH: Six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek joked that she might have been caught by ‘karma’ in her 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2 defeat at the hands of USA's Amanda Anisimova in the group-stage WTA Finals match here on Wednesday.

Anisimova had earlier defeated the Pole in the US Open to avenge her earlier 6-0, 6-0 drubbing in the Wimbledon final.

Anisimova's comeback victory in Riyadh added to the Pole's frustration once again as Swiatek, the 2023 WTA Finals champion, struggled to figure out a way to escape after failing to earn a semi-final position at the season-ending event for the second consecutive year.

Swiatek won Wimbledon, Cincinnati, and Seoul championships during mid-season comeback.

The 24-year-old won five titles last year, but acknowledged that her efforts were no longer yielding the same results as they once did.

She further admitted being confused by the loss and expressed that she had played well mentally and physically.

"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," Swiatek said.

She joked that ‘karma’ might be to blame after her dominant performance throughout the season.

"So, I don't really get why I couldn't go out of the group (stage). Maybe I won too much last year and this is karma. It feels kind of weird,” she added.

"It's not like I'm expecting (anything), but from my experiences, if I put so much intensity and grit and I care that much it usually kind of paid off."