Greg Rusedski believes that an ongoing “scar tissue” issue is holding Iga Swiatek back, and despite her shaky form, it is right to stick with coach Francisco Roig.
After winning the Canadian Open and going deep in Cincinnati, hopes were high for Swiatek heading into this year’s US Open.
Having not dropped a set in her first three matches and then racing into a 5-0 lead against former Australian Open finalist Qinwen Zheng, the Pole looked to be marching towards the quarter-finals.
But the Chinese star unexpectedly reeled off seven straight games and then closed out the match against the out-of-sorts eighth seed in a 7-5, 6-3 victory in round four.
When asked if her collapse had been a mental issue, Swiatek replied, “I wouldn’t say it had anything to do with mentality. It was more that I started making mistakes from easy balls, and Qinwen stopped making mistakes. She played the balls better.”
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She later shrugged it off as “just one match” but former US Open finalist Rusedski is not so sure. Indeed, Swiatek’s form either side of her 2025 Wimbledon triumph is troubling.
The 25-year-old six-time major winner is now down to ninth in the rankings and for the time being, no solution seems to be in sight.
Following this latest blow, Rusedski said on Off Court, “The summer started well for her, winning in Canada, that was a big step forward, playing some great tennis. Everybody’s thinking, ‘Iga’s form was looking really good at the US Open’.
“So it’s about confidence. It’s about belief. That wouldn’t happen to her when she was the very best in the world. And unfortunately, the older we get, we get something called scar tissue and our mind gets away and sometimes we don’t find a way to stop this when momentum shifts.
“So when you’re up 5-0 up and you lose seven games in a row, you’re not being able to either put your opponent off, find a way to lift your game, or use your coaching team to find a way to work it out.
“She went with Francisco Roig, they didn’t get off to the best start when the relationship started (in April). It looked like this summer was getting better and they’re still feeling each other out on how they work.
“This is another test for them because she needs to find a way to break that cycle. Roig’s a great coach. She’s decided she’s going to continue on that partnership, she’s going to move forward. In the locker room, this just shows everybody. If you can stick with her, keep it tight. You’ve got an opportunity.”
Questions are being asked over whether Roig – who has coached Rafael Nadal, Emma Raducanu, and Matteo Berrettini among others – is the right coach to take Swiatek forward.
Since working together, she has failed to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final and other than winning in Canada, there has been precious little to cling onto.
During her loss to Zheng, Martina Navratilova felt Roig was giving Swiatek some “peculiar” advice. However, Rusedski thinks they need more time together to find their feet.
He continued, “She’s made the decision to stick with Francesca Roig, which is a positive. She hasn’t split from her coach. She’s looking at this as a long-term project. And from my point of view, that is a huge positive.
“She’s had a few bumps in the road. We all have difficult times, but let’s see how she finishes the season and starts in 2027. So fingers crossed she can get over that mental hurdle because that’s the most challenging thing when you’re a phenomenal athlete like she is.
“Also, she’ll have a full year with him going into the clay court season and also be able to talk to Rafael Nadal, which does help a lot. Fingers crossed she can get her mojo back and as she said, it’s only one match, hopefully she can move forward from it.”
