Slip of tongue, not tennis, as Iga Swiatek rolls into quarter-final

Aryna Sabalenka may be grabbing headlines at Wimbledon with her bold and beautiful play. A newspaper like the Wall Street Journal even came up with a controversial headline her tennis is so strong as she trains with the men. No harm in that, really, since women tennis players have male coaches as well as hitting partners from the opposite sex. It is also well-known, Aryna took tips from Novak Djokovic as well in recent weeks.

With Aryna Sabalenka not on view, the lady who made people watch her closely, once again, is Iga Swiatek, the former World No.1 whose dalliances at The Championship in Wimbledon have been a bit strange. Rewind to the kind of form she had displayed in 2022, winning non-stop and dominating clay, Iga had become a favourite as well at Wimbledon, before she lost.

On Monday, Iga showed punch and promise as she bolted past Denmark’s Clara Tauson 6-4, 6-1 to enter the quarter-finals. Tauson would have fancied her chances after defeating potent Elena Rybakina in the earlier round. Then again, on Monday, Iga was down 1- 3 thanks to her struggling serve before she steadied herself. What one saw from Iga Swiatek was more calm tennis. Her inner fears, doubts had been conquered, though she knows grass is not her best surface.

As someone so talented and with amazing results and rankings in the past, Iga has been a kind of outlier on grass. Yet, for those who think she cannot do well on this surface, there was a new facet. She knows, to succeed in Wimbledon is as much about mindset as technique. She was the No.1 on the WTA computer for 125 weeks, which is the seventh longest streak. Yet, at SW 19, she has been under the radar. To win on Monday will give Iga that confidence back, though she was honest in mentioning her opponent was not feeling well. “Even though the beginning was pretty shaky with double faults, I managed to play well and solid,” said Iga.

For those who look into the technical aspect, Iga’s serve this year at The Championship has been very impressive, compared to the other players. This is surely helping her, though she is not putting too much pressure on herself. “It’s never easy to keep your focus,” said Iga. “I also thought, when I was wasn’t feeling well that I just let go of everything, which sometime give you a boost.

There may have been a blip, or slip-up, from Iga Swiatek when she was talking after the match to Annabel Croft! “It’s pretty amazing, you know, its he first time I’ve really enjoyed Wimbledon. She knew it was a faux pas and the corrected herself. Grinning, she said: “I mean, sorry guys, I always enjoyed it, but we’re tennis players so we kind of feel well off the court when we feel good on the court.” In 2018, Iga was girls’s champion at the same venue. For her to feel good and push harder into the draw in 2025 is expected.

On the second Monday at Wimbledon, there was more thrill and heartbreak as well. A 38-year-old man answering to the name of Novak Djokovic continued to marvel as he worked his way past Alex De Minaur 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and 19 minutes. Novak did not play his best tennis but still has the ability to come up with important points and win three straight sets. Watching the Serbian in action was none other than Roger Federer, seated beside his wife Mirka in formal clothes. Novak did thank Federer for turning up to watch him. After all, till 2022, RF and Novak had shared many battles and moments.

There seemed to be a massive upset coming on Monday when Jannik Sinner was on the mat against Grigor Dimitrov. Dimitrov was leading by two sets when he hit the deck, collapsing in pain. It was a tear with his pectoral muscle beneath his right arm. For someone who had been serving well, this injury was so sad to see. To retire from that position made for sad viewing. Surely, if Sinner had been knocked out, the bookmakers would have gone into a tailspin.