WIMBLEDON ETHICS: IGA SWIATEK REFUSED TO GIVE ANISIMOVA FREE POINT
Iga Swiatek defends her ruthless 6-0, 6-0 Wimbledon final win over Amanda Anisimova. The World No. 1 reveals she was also "stressed as hell" during the match.
In a recent interview, Iga Swiatek addressed those who thought she should have let Amanda Anisimova win a game in their 2025 Wimbledon final.
A lot of people anticipated a tough match between Swiatek and Anisimova at Wimbledon that year. In a memorable semifinal, the American player beat Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. Sources reported the WTA world No. 1 wasn't happy with Anisimova's behaviour during the match.
But the final didn't live up to the hype. Anisimova seemed really nervous and was defeated 0-6, 0-6. It was the first time a player hadn't won a game in a Wimbledon singles final since 1911.
Swiatek took full advantage of Anisimova's struggles. Since 2020, she's won more sets 6-0 than any other WTA player. This makes her well-suited to quickly beat an opponent who isn't playing well.
Afterwards, many fans felt sorry for Anisimova, who was having a hard time in her first Grand Slam final. Some suggested Swiatek could have given the 24-year-old a game to spare her from total defeat, since she would almost surely have won anyway.
In an interview, Swiatek said she was just trying to concentrate and wasn't thinking about how it looked. She said she only realised how strange the 6-0, 6-0 score was in a Grand Slam final after the match.
I wasn’t really thinking about how it looked; I was just playing, and I didn’t want to give any points for free. “ It’s a Wimbledon final; I really wanted to win it," she said. “After, for sure, there were a lot of crazy things happening. I remember all these interviews about the score, journalists asking questions if I should let Amanda win one game or something like that. It was pretty different.
Swiatek believes the final showed just how important a player's mental state is in tennis. She noted that many people focused on Anisimova's anxiety but didn't realise she was feeling the same way on such a big stage.
I can only say that this tournament shows tennis is such a mental sport. This part of the game has a huge impact on everything and on the results of each player. She stated. I’m really happy I handled the pressure well, because after the final, everybody was talking about Amanda being stressed or something, but I was also stressed as hell; playing the final of Wimbledon on Centre Court is a surreal experience.
Iga Swiatek plans to change her schedule in 2026.
Swiatek has often talked about how long the tennis schedule is and how many mandatory tournaments there are. In 2025, not playing enough of these mandatory events caused Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and others to lose points.
In an interview, Swiatek said she'll probably skip two tournaments in 2026. These will likely be events where she doesn't normally play well.
I would like to try missing maybe two tournaments—maybe the ones I feel I haven’t been playing well at anyway—just spending this time on grinding and getting the technique better, she said. I think it will help me also play a little bit better under stress, because my body will remember the proper movements and what it learned during this practice time.
WHY DID 22 PLAYERS SUDDENLY WITHDRAW FROM THE 2026 ITALIAN OPEN MID-TOURNAMENT?
Discover the full list of injured stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu, forced out of the 2026 Italian Open.
At the 2026 Italian Open, the number of players who have withdrawn or retired during matches has climbed to 22, spanning both the ATP and WTA competitions.
By midweek, 17 players had already exited the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event in Rome. Since then, an additional three men and two women have followed suit.
Before the draws were even announced on Monday, prominent names like Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, and Marketa Vondrousova had pulled out. On the opening day of the women’s tournament, Tuesday, Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu also withdrew.
Amanda Anisimova, ranked sixth in the WTA, stepped back before her first match on Thursday due to a left wrist injury. Meanwhile, Victoria Mboko, who is ninth in the world, withdrew before playing on Friday because of a gastrointestinal illness.
Valentin Vacherot, the 16th-ranked player on the ATP tour, pulled out shortly before his scheduled second-round match against Marin Cilic on Friday, citing a foot injury.
Tomas Machac, holding the 41st spot in the men's rankings, also withdrew ahead of his second-round encounter with Daniil Medvedev after an impactful win against Stefanos Tsitsipas in round one.
Arthur Fils, ranked 17th, retired during his opening match against Andrea Pellegrino on Saturday, trailing 0-4, due to hip pain.
Here’s a rundown of the withdrawals on the ATP side: Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) was replaced by Sebastian Ofner; Taylor Fritz (No. 7) by Zachary Svajda; Valentin Vacherot (No. 16) by Martin Landaluce; Arthur Rinderknech (No. 24) by Aleksandar Kovacevic; Holger Rune (No. 40) by Damir Dzumhur; Gabriel Diallo (No. 46) by Alexander Blockx; Jack Draper (No. 50) by Hamad Medjedovic; Raphael Collignon (No. 68) by Alexandre Muller; Reilly Opelka (No. 74) by Aleksandar Vukic; Arthur Cazaux (No. 73) by Mattia Bellucci; Kamil Majchrzak (No. 76) by Roberto Bautista Agut; and Eliot Spizzirri (No. 92) by James Duckworth.
On the WTA side, Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) was replaced by Elena Gabriela Ruse from Romania; Victoria Mboko (No. 9) by Nikola Bartunkova; Marta Kostyuk (No. 15) by Ajla Tomljanovic; Emma Raducanu (No. 30) by Lilli Tagger; Marketa Vondrousova (No. 44) by Solana Sierra; Sonay Kartal (No. 56) by Zeynep Sonmez; Varvara Gracheva (No. 61) by Eva Lys; and Veronika Kudermetova (No. 70) by Petra Marcinko.
THE "REST OVER REPS" PLAN: WHY JANNIK SINNER IS SNUBBING HALLE FOR WIMBLEDON
After 23 consecutive wins, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner adjusts his schedule to target a Career Grand Slam and Wimbledon glory.
Jannik Sinner has already logged a heavy schedule this year, with deep runs in recent Masters 1000 tournaments keeping him on court against top-tier competition regularly. Given this demanding stretch, he’s taken a fresh look at his calendar and decided to skip the Halle Open, carving out a three-week break between Roland Garros and his Wimbledon title defence.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion won’t be heading to Germany for the grass-court event. That’s notable since Sinner claimed that Wimbledon crown in impressive fashion, overcoming two-time winner Carlos Alcaraz to secure his first major title away from hardcourts. That victory was his latest Grand Slam, following Alcaraz’s wins at the previous two majors.
After Roland Garros, where he seeks to complete the career Grand Slam, Sinner plans to recharge rather than pile on more tournaments before Wimbledon. Without Alcaraz in sight, he’s considered a favourite to maintain his remarkable run. His recent haul includes titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and, most recently, Madrid. Now, he’s setting his sights on Rome, his home turf, where he’s never clinched a win but is eager to continue an ambitious streak of Masters 1000 victories, aiming for a sixth in a row.
Post-Rome, he’ll take a week off before the French Open begins. In total, Sinner has played 23 matches over the last two months without tasting defeat. If he wants to lift the Rome trophy, he’ll need to notch six more wins, then potentially battle through seven more rounds in Paris. This demanding schedule partly explains his choice to forgo Halle.
As for the 2026 Halle Open, fans might be disappointed not to see the world number one, but the field remains strong. Heading the draw is Alexander Zverev, a local favourite who has yet to claim a grass-court title or even one on home soil. With Sinner out, this could be a prime opportunity for Zverev to break through.
The American players are also well represented. The U.S. hasn’t seen a finalist here since Mardy Fish in 2004, but Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton might be poised to change that, especially Fritz, who has already shown grass prowess with titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne last year.
Defending champion Alexander Bublik, who ousted Sinner on his way to victory and took down Daniil Medvedev in the final, will be back aiming to repeat. Alongside him, names like Andrey Rublev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe are also set to compete. The tournament runs from June 15 to 21, promising plenty of exciting tennis.
