Iga Swiatek found an interesting thing to blame for her surprise WTA Finals exit as the six-time Grand Slam champion suggests it may have been "karma" for all her winnings and accomplishments over the past couple of years.
After failing to make it past the group stage in Riyadh last year, Swiatek kicked off this year's WTA Finals campaign with a dominant 6-1 6-2 win over Madison Keys. Then, two brutal defeats followed. Firstly, the Pole picked up a 6-3 1-6 0-6 loss to Elena Rybakina. Then, the former world No. 1 lost to Amanda Anisimova 7-6 (3) 4 6 3-6 in a direct battle for the last semifinal spot from Group Serena Williams.
It was the first time in Swiatek's career that she lost back-to-back matches from a set up. And what's worse is the fact that the negative record didn't come at a great time.
Swiatek: I didn't have any issues in Riyadh… My group exit could be karma
"I felt good mentally, physically and tennis-wise. It was nice looking at the conditions and everything. So, so I don't really get why I couldn't go out of the group. I don't know, maybe I won too much in the last years and this is karma. It's really hard for me to say. It feels kind of weird. It's not like I'm expecting, but from my experiences, if I put, like, so much intensity and grit and, and I care that much, usually it kind of paid off. So, so we'll see if I keep working, if it's gonna pay off or not," the former world No. 1 explained.
Iga Swiatek: “I felt good mentally, physically, and tennis-wise also it was nice, looking at the conditions and everything. So I don’t really get why I couldn’t go out of the group. Maybe I won too much in the last years and this is karma. It’s really hard for me to say (…)” pic.twitter.com/hKh44c1CTk
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) November 5, 2025
Still, it was a positive second part of the year for Swiatek, who lifted her maiden Wimbledon title and improved from No. 8 to No. 2 in the world. Also, the Polish tennis star won her first Cincinnati and Seoul titles.
