Kamal Ghorui
Iga Swiatek is going through a tough phase, and now even her team is being questioned. After her early loss at the 2026 Miami Open, many people in tennis are asking what is going wrong. The former World No. 1 lost to fellow Polish player Magda Linette, who is ranked much lower. What shocked everyone was how the match turned. Iga Swiatek won the first set easily but then lost control of the match. Soon after, experts started talking about her mental state and the role of her long-time psychologist, Daria Abramowicz. Some believe things are not working the way they should, and changes might be needed.
Rennae Stubbs and Caitlin Thompson question Iga Swiatek and Daria Abramowicz partnership after Miami Open loss
Rennae Stubbs shared her thoughts on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast and pointed out that Daria Abramowicz is likely facing the most criticism because she has been closest to Iga Swiatek for years. Their partnership started in 2019 when Swiatek was just 17. Stubbs said, “She is going to take most of the hit, because she is also the closest person personally to her. She has been in her team forever.”She also spoke about what happens during matches. Abramowicz often speaks to Swiatek from the player box in Polish, trying to guide her mentally. But Stubbs feels those words are not helping right now.“The psychologist is probably the one screaming things out to her. I do not know what they are saying because they are saying it in Polish, but I would imagine it would be like, calm yourself or get it together. Whatever she is saying to her, she is not responding to it,” Stubbs explained.Caitlin Thompson added another strong point. She said it feels strange to see a player struggle mentally even when they have a psychologist in their team.“If you see somebody looking so displeased the way that Swiatek has for months now, maybe things are not working, maybe something needs to change,” Thompson said.She added, “The irony of having a psychologist on your staff who is supposed to be keeping you in a good mental state while you display what seems to not be a great mental state is an irony that needs to be addressed.”
Iga Swiatek admits mental struggles after Magda Linette defeat at Miami Open 2026
After the loss to Magda Linette, Iga Swiatek spoke honestly about how she feels on court right now. Even though she started the match strong with a 6-1 first set, her level dropped badly in the next two sets.She said, “Tennis feels complicated in my head. I know it is supposed to be simple.” Iga Swiatek also shared that this feeling is new for her and not easy to handle.“In terms of my mentality and how I feel on court, it is going to take a while. It just was a bad match for me unconsciously, or consciously, it is hard for me to say,” she said.She added, “I need to work to get back from that, because I have not felt things like that for like five years.” This shows that the issue is not just about one match. It is something deeper that has been building for months. Another concern is that Swiatek has not won a WTA title since the Korea Open in September last year, which adds more pressure.
