No.1 ranked Tennis star Iga Swiatek attributed her surprising exit from 2024 Dubai Championship to fatigue and exhaustion, acknowledging that she lacked the energy to execute her game or make the necessary adjustments on the court against Anna Kalinskaya.
Having played four matches last week and emerged victorious in the inaugural WTA 1000 tournament of the year in Doha, Swiatek's seven-match winning streak came to an end on Friday. Despite her recent good form, the Polish player faced disappointment as the 40th-ranked Kalinskaya, a Russian qualifier, secured a 6-4, 6-4 victory.
“I didn’t have power anymore to give even more, which doesn’t happen often,” Swiatek said after the match. “I just felt out of control a little bit because of that. Usually when I tell myself what to do, I can improve my game. Today I was so out of power and tired that I just couldn’t.”
Despite facing a challenging situation, Swiatek expressed her frustration with the loss and the missed opportunity to clinch both Doha and Dubai titles, ending her Middle East tour with consecutive WTA 1000 titles. Although displeased with her own performance, Swiatek took a moment to recognize Kalinskaya's excellent display and gave credit to the 25-year-old Russian.
"I mean I'm angry but on the other hand, there aren't many players that actually survive these kinds of tournaments so I just kind of have to let it go and accept it," Swiatek said.
"Today I would say, I mean she played well and for sure she deserves to be in the final, but I feel like it was more about me and my level. I wanted to be focused on myself and I wasn’t really able to implement any tactics that I had."
Now, Swiatek is likely to take a few days off to rest and recharge after two lengthy weeks in Doha and Dubai. Following that, Swiatek will head to the United States for Indian Wells and Miami.
