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.
PLAYER REVOLT: TAYLOR FRITZ LEADS MASSIVE OUTCRY AGAINST INDIAN WELLS' NEW TENNIS BALLS
Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev are sounding the alarm over "terrible" Dunlop tennis balls ahead of the 2026 Indian Wells Masters.
Taylor Fritz isn’t happy with the new Dunlop tennis balls. Honestly, he thinks the quality “dropped a lot” just as everyone heads into Indian Wells, the first Masters 1000 event of the year.
This year, Dunlop is taking over from Penn as the official ball supplier. But in the weeks before the tournament, players started complaining. They just don’t like how these balls feel and play.
Fritz joined in, saying the Dunlop balls are slow and wear out way too fast. He didn’t hold back; he flat-out said they just aren’t up to standard.
“The next tournament is Indian Wells, and, honestly, it’s going to be very interesting,” Fritz said. “This year they’re changing the ball, and we’ll be playing with the Dunlop, which is the one we use most on the tour.
“The thing is, the Dunlop, in general, is slow. When it wears down, it gets even slower, and lately it’s been wearing down very quickly. I really think the quality of the balls has dropped a lot.”
Fritz offered a fix: swap out the balls more often. Right now, he says, players go too many games between changes.
“On fast courts, the Dunlop works very well, but on slow courts it’s awful. It wasn’t such a big problem before, so I think the frequency of ball changes should also be changed. Seven or nine games are too many. The other day, at 3-3 in the first set, I was looking at the ball and thinking, ‘How are we playing professional tennis with this?’ It’s ridiculous.”
Fritz isn’t the only one complaining. Daniil Medvedev, never shy with his opinions, said it’s impossible to play with Dunlop balls. “The problem is when you touch it with the racket, it does not react the same way on your shots, so how do you want us to play tennis?” he said.
World No. 6 Alex de Minaur agreed. He struggled with the balls even in practice and said they’re just tough to control. “I have struggled a lot in practice,” de Minaur said. “I have actually been quite frustrated with the balls in practice, which is not like me. I do get what Daniil says about the balls. They are definitely not my favourite. I don’t think they are anyone’s favourite balls. They are very difficult to control.”
Arthur Fils didn’t mince words either: “They are terrible. Really terrible. The ball is very bad. It is unbelievable.”
UNEARTHING THE MURRAY BLUEPRINT: CAN PETCHEY GIFT EMMA RADUCANU THAT MISSING GRAND SLAM GRIT?
Emma Raducanu flips the script! Discover why Mark Petchey is back, the Murray connection, and the plan for Indian Wells 2026.
Emma Raducanu has brought Mark Petchey back onto her team just before Indian Wells. She split from Francisco Roig after the Australian Open in January.
Since then, she’s been working with Alexis Canter, who’s still in her corner. Now Petchey’s joining in a more flexible, as-needed role. He actually coached her from March to July last year.
It’s a bit surprising; honestly, just a few days ago, Raducanu said she wasn’t searching for a new coach. Talking to the Guardian, she explained, “Right now, I have Alexis in my corner. He knows me as a person. He knows me as a player.”
She’s hoping this new team clicks at the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, especially after making the final at the Transylvania Open not long ago. Petchey, by the way, coached Andy Murray when he was just starting. When Murray and Petchey parted ways, Murray was open about it.
“Mark has been a big part of my success in the last 10 months, and we had a great run together, but we have had a difference of opinion regarding some aspects of my game,” Murray said back in April 2006. “It was a very difficult decision and based solely on the development of my tennis.”
Their partnership didn’t even last a whole year, but Petchey was there when a teenage Murray won his first ATP title in February 2006. Petchey saw something special in him right from the start.
After they split, Petchey said, “I am very proud of what we have achieved together, getting Andy into the top 50 and winning his first ATP title at the age of 18. I do not doubt that Andy will make the top 10 and be a Grand Slam winner in the future, and I wish him every success.”
Murray outdid all those predictions, picking up three Grand Slams and two Olympic golds. Still, there was never any bad blood. In 2016, with Murray at world No. 1, Petchey called him Britain’s greatest-ever sportsman.
He told Sky Sports, “I just think for Andy, with the way his opponents can impact his performance, the things he has to do to overcome them tactically, you saw it this week, the different styles of players, the different surfaces, criss-crossing the globe the way he does. For me, he is [Britain’s greatest ever sportsman], but there will be others who definitely disagree.”
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