Emotions took over Iga Swiatek the moment she drubbed World No. 2 Elena Rybakina for the Canadian Open title, her first piece of silverware this year. Among the many emotions she experienced was anger, directed straight at her critics.
The former World No. 1 Pole faced heavy scrutiny from critics for failing to reach a single final appearance throughout 2026. She finally put the outside noise, which had been building during her 11-month title drought, to rest dominantly.
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With a high-intensity and aggressive approach, Swiatek crushed Rybakina’s dreams with an emphatic 6-2, 6-3 in 75 minutes to walk away with the title. During her on-court speech and the post-match press conference, the six-time Grand Slam champion took a swing at critics by dedicating her title win to “everyone who is dealing with unfair judgment and hate.”
Serena Williams‘ coach Rennae Stubbs empathised with Iga Swiatek and stressed that social media has exposed athletes to negative remarks.
“Sometimes I wonder if people really understand what young athletes in the spotlight have to go through behind the scenes, meaning… hateful comments, shameful comments, hurtful comments… this is what social media has opened up, and there is much more exposure to negative comments. Many would say it’s the price to pay, but it’s still… awful,” Stubbs wrote on X.
While speaking to the media after scripting another memorable win, Iga Swiatek was proud of her success despite being overwhelmed with anger at one point. What made her furious was that she put in the hard yards to cut out the “unnecessary” outside noise, which shouldn’t be the case.
“Sometimes we need to fight things that we shouldn’t. That’s why I’m even more proud of myself that I focused on my path, and I didn’t let that define me. All the things that I mentioned in the speech. Just the unfair judgment, and sometimes people just judging and hating,” Iga Swiatek told the media.
“This anger came after I won, but during the whole process I was really focused on just growing and progressing. The same happened after Wimbledon when I started practicing on hard courts, so I feel I worked hard to cut out of all this noise, and unnecessary noise. That’s what makes me angry because it shouldn’t be like that, and it doesn’t need to be like that,” she added.
The 25-year-old will aim to extend her newfound momentum at the Cincinnati Open as she shifts her focus to her campaign opener against qualifier Emiliana Arango.
Iga Swiatek opens up about her growth under new coach Francisco Roig
When Iga Swiatek was going through a barren run in terms of titles, she made a shocking call to part ways with Wim Fissette. She announced the split after suffering an upset loss to compatriot Magda Linette, which snapped her 73 opening-match win streak in Miami.
In April, she joined hands with Rafael Nadal’s former coach, Francisco Roig, in a bid to change her fortune. Their hard work finally paid off after Swiatek outlasted Rybakina for the title. She explained the improvements she made under the Spaniard to play more efficiently on the court.
“We’ve been working a lot to get the better rhythm of the shots and not to waste energy sometimes with the unnecessary footwork. Now, I feel I can run around the court with less steps, more efficiently, and the timing is much better,” Iga Swiatek said (Via WTA).
“I felt I got a bit stronger with the core as we’ve been doing a lot of exercises with [medicine] ball. That really helped me to get this good rhythm, and I could do that in Warsaw, try some things out and continue that here,” she added.
Iga Swiatek’s latest triumph in Canada will certainly boost her confidence as she takes the final stop in Cincinnati before heading to the US Open.
Edited by Pritha Ghosh
