Latest news with #Iga
Metro
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Metro
Mark Petchey furious with Emma Raducanu critics: 'Everyone is living in 2021'
Mark Petchey has issued a passionate defence of British tennis star Emma Raducanu and has blasted her critics for still 'living in 2021'. Petchey, currently working as Raducanu's coach, and has been left angered at certain comments after her French Open defeat to Iga Swiatek. Swiatek beat Raducanu 6-1 6-2 in the second round at Roland-Garros on Wednesday with the Brit now set to focus on the 2025 grass-court swing. Raducanu hasn't landed a second title anywhere on the WTA Tour since her historic Grand Slam triumph at the US Open in 2021 – but she has endured terrible luck with injuries – and required triple surgery in 2023. Petchey has been working with Raducanu since the Miami Open in March this year – where the 22-year-old enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals – and the tennis coach is 'tired' of people questioning her work ethic. Raducanu, ranked inside the world top 10 in 2022, was accused of lacking 'heart' last year. The British No.2 is currently ranked world No.41. 'Since Miami when we improvised and I started helping Emma, I said she needs to start closing the gap between the best players,' Petchey told TNT Sports. 'She doesn't need me to sit between 20-50 in the world and if I'm not the best choice, she needs to find the best choice. 'On this court, Iga is 23 straight wins – you don't put those streaks together at a major [tournament] if your game isn't so difficult to play against. It was clearly going to be the ultimate test for Emma yesterday. 'From my point of view, it's tough on Emma as I still feel everyone is living in 2021. The games have changed massively, the balls are four times heavier than back in 2021 and Emma isn't the biggest hitter out there. 'If you can't put the ball through the court on a windy, heavy clay court day against someone like Iga, you're going to get into all sorts of trouble. 'If anyone has watched Iga's losses over the European clay court season, the players that have beaten her have played absolutely lights out tennis. 'Although everyone says Iga's form is bad, I didn't actually think that and she proved it yesterday. 'On hard courts and grass is a lot closer compared to where Emma was in Australia against Iga, but against Iga and Coco [Gauff], she knows what she has to do and it will take a long time. 'My mantra to her has been, 'You are starting your career now. Everyone is judging you on what happened in 2021 but the reality is, I want to see you building a career here where people judge you in two years'. More Trending 'I'm a little tired of hearing people say that she doesn't work hard. I spent 10 months with her in 2020, and I've spent every day that I can with her since Miami, and not once has she not put in a full day shift. 'Whether there are areas that together, we can help her be crystalise more gains in the fitness or the tennis or whatever, but in terms of turning up every day and putting in a good shift, she's done it every single time. 'So, I'd like to bury that myth where it belongs.' Watch every match of Roland-Garros live and exclusive on TNT Sports and discovery+ . MORE: French Open odds: Jack Draper can breeze past Gael Monfils but Katie Boulter has a mountain to climb MORE: Novak Djokovic French Open win branded 'unfair' after roof debate with umpire MORE: Europa Conference League final odds: Chelsea can triumph but back Manchester United flop Antony to score
India Today
03-05-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Iga Swiatek lost her grandfather before Madrid Open, confirms manager
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek competed in the 2025 Madrid Open while mourning the loss of her grandfather. The news was confirmed by her PR manager, Daria Sulgostowska, who acknowledged the 23-year-old's personal the Stuttgart Open, Swiatek mentioned in an interview with Canal+ that she might need to return to Poland before heading to Madrid. Earlier, journalist Benoit Maylin had shared news of her grandfather's passing on we write off Djokovic and witek after Novak's strange behavior and Iga's obvious nervousness, it should be noted that both are going through a complicated period. Several of Djokovic's close friends have health problems, and Iga lost her grandfather just before the tournament," he wrote. Swiatek's PR manager later confirmed that the tennis star had attended the funeral just before the start of the clay-court tournament in Madrid. She also requested that Swiatek's privacy be respected during this difficult Swiatek's team member & P.R. Manager Daria Sulgostowska has confirmed that Iga's grandfather passed attended his funeral before the the painful loss in her family, she competed admirably and reached the semifinals with a very heavy heart. The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 2, 2025advertisementIga Swiatek in danger of losing No.2 rankingLast year, Swiatek lost her No.1 ranking to Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka. The Pole is now in danger of losing her No.2 spot. Swiatek will drop to No.3 in the rankings if USA's Coco Gauff wins the Madrid Open title. On Saturday, Gauff will lock horns with Sabalenka in the grand finale of the WTA 1000 has had her challenges of late. In the round of 64, she rallied back from a set down to beat 19-year-old sensation Alexandra Eala from the Philippines. In the quarterfinal, reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys blanked her in the opening set before Swiatek won 0-6, 6-3, Gauff, Swiatek looked completely out of sorts as she lost 1-6, 1-6 in the semis at Manolo Santana. It was her second-worst loss on the WTA Tour after former player Simona Halep beat her 6-1, 6-0 in the French Open Reel
New York Times
26-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Iga Światek receives additional security at Miami Open after harassment during practice
Iga Świątek has been given additional security at the Miami Open after her team reported that a man had harassed her at a practice session Sunday, in an incident that a representative for Świątek described as 'a direct transition from verbal aggression online to harassment in the real world.' Video footage posted to Reddit and X shows Świątek practicing at the tournament with coach Wim Fissette and Daria Abramowicz, her sports psychologist. A male voice speaks over the footage in Polish. It says: 'Hey Iga call your mom,' followed by, 'Hey Iga, when will you make up with your mother?' Advertisement The speaker then focuses on Abramowicz, saying: 'Daria runs with water like a trained dog.' This translation has been corroborated by two independent translators. The representative for Świątek, who wrote to The Athletic via text message, also said that the person present at the practice made reference to Świątek's family. The person 'shouted personal remarks referring to her private life: 'Hey Iga, call your mother!' 'When will you reconcile with your mother?' the representative said. 'In his behavior he was aggressive and taunting.' Świątek's parents divorced during her childhood, with both Iga and her sister, Agata, living with their father. The video footage posted to Reddit includes screenshots from an account on X with the username 'DzonnyBravo,' which has been deleted. One screenshot of a post from that username says that the person using the account will travel to Miami to ask Świątek about her relationship with her mother. Another contains a still image matching the video footage posted to Reddit. The Athletic has contacted the owner of the account for comment. The Miami Open did not confirm the nature of the additional security or how the man in question has been dealt with. A statement sent to The Athletic said: 'We take the safety and security of all players and tournament attendees extremely seriously. We constantly evaluate any potential threats and take every measure to respond appropriately. To ensure the effectiveness of these efforts, we do not disclose the details of our security operations.' The WTA initially said that the incident was a matter for the tournament, but later issued the following statement: 'Player safety is our top priority. The WTA works closely with tournaments and their security teams on best practices for international sporting events to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants. There are comprehensive security protocols in place to make sure that any incidents are handled promptly and effectively. Advertisement 'The details of these are not something we discuss publicly, but we are steadfast in our commitment to maintaining a safe environment for players and everyone attending one of our events.' Sunday's incident took place little over a month after Emma Raducanu was reduced to tears at the Dubai Open in February, when a man later said to be displaying 'fixated behavior' toward her appeared at a courtside seat during her defeat to Karolina Muchova. The man, who had approached Raducanu the previous day and given her a photo of herself with his name and contact details, was escorted away by security. He was subsequently given a restraining order, according to authorities in Dubai, and banned from attending WTA Tour events. Świątek takes on Alexandra Eala in the Miami Open quarterfinals Wednesday. — Matthew Futterman contributed reporting.
BBC News
14-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ostapenko hands Swiatek heavy loss to reach Qatar final
Iga Swiatek suffered her worst defeat in two years as Jelena Ostapenko breezed past the world number two in straight sets to reach the Qatar Open needed just and hour and eight minutes to wrap up a 6-3 6-1 victory over the five-time Grand Slam champion in Doha. The last time Swiatek was on the wrong end of such a one-sided match was a 6-2 6-2 loss to Elena Rybakina at Indian Wells in March 23-year-old Pole was on a 15-match winning streak at the Qatar Open and chasing a fourth successive ranked 37th in the world, has now won all five of her meetings with Swiatek."I feel like this court has a special energy," said the Latvian, 27."I was pretty confident that I would beat her because we've played a lot of matches and I kind of know how to play against her. "I'm really happy with the way I'm handling my emotions this week. I'm just so happy to be in the final."Ostapenko will play Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova or American Amanda Anisimova in Saturday's final.
