Latest news with #SportoweFakty
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Robert Lewandowski accuses manager of "betraying" him as he refuses to play
Robert Lewandowski has lost the captaincy with Poland after sitting out recent games but has been left fuming with the head coach for how he's handled the saga Poland icon Robert Lewandowski claims he was "betrayed" when he lost the armband after claiming he will never play for his country whilst Michał Probierz is the head coach. The Barcelona frontman, who is his country's record goalscorer, has been left fuming by the series of events that saw him stripped of the captaincy as he lamented the manner in which he found out. Lewandowski had copped heavy criticism in the Polish media after making himself unavailable for games against Moldova and Finland this month. He cited "physical and mental tiredness" after a long season with his club as well as and a recent hamstring injury. Lewandowski was replaced by Piotr Zielinski as captain on Sunday, but claimed his situation had been agreed with Probierz. The 36-year-old also questioned how certain information became public and insists he should never have been informed about the changes over the phone. Lewandowski told SportoweFakty: "I got a surprise call from Probierz with the information that he had decided to take away the armband. I was not prepared for it at all, I was putting my children to bed. The conversation lasted a few minutes. "I didn't even have time to tell my family what had happened, because a few moments later it appeared online. I've been wearing the armband for 11 years and playing for the national team for 17. It seemed to me that such matters should be handled differently. "Everything was communicated over the phone. It really shouldn't be like this. The coach betrayed my trust. I've always given everything to the national team, it's always been the most important thing to me, but I'm very hurt by what happened." The ex-Bayern Munich maintained he was not angered by Zielinski replacing him, handing his full backing to the Inter Milan star, but believes the coach didn't back him. "It's not even about the decision regarding the armband, but the way it was communicated to me," he added. "I really don't care about the armband itself. I believe in Zieliński and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him. I have the impression that the coach caved in to the media pressure. He broke agreements we had and that's why I'm surprised by his attitude." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Iga Swiatek's serve deserts her in Italian Open upset against Danielle Collins
ROME — Iga Świątek's struggles continue, at one of the last places anyone in tennis would have expected. Świątek, a master of clay-court tennis and defending champion at the Italian Open, lost to American Danielle Collins in the second round, falling 6-1, 7-5. Collins had beaten Świątek just once before in eight meetings, but on Saturday in the Campo Centrale of the Foro Italico, Collins looked like she'd had her opponents number for years. Advertisement The head-to-head record aside, world No. 35 Collins represents the sort of player Świątek has been losing to all year, in places where she tends not to lose at all: big hitters capable of jumping on her increasingly vulnerable first serve, which deserted her entirely in the first set against the American. The pressure builds behind Świątek's first serve, then her second serve, and then the rest of her game, sending her back to old patterns of play that she is trying, she said in an interview with SportoweFakty ahead of this match, to eliminate from her tennis. Over-pressing on returns sends them long or into the net. Rally balls go awry. Świątek had looked to be back to her old dominating ways during her first match in Rome against Elisabeth Cocciaretto, winning 6-1, 6-0. Collins, a former Australian Open finalist and the Miami champion last year, posed a different challenge. It may not have helped that the two have a bit of a history. At the end of their last match, at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games last summer, Collins spoke to Świątek about her retiring with an abdominal injury in the third set. Collins later said that she called Świątek's sympathy fake. Advertisement 'I told Iga she didn't have to be insincere about, you know, my injury,' Collins said in a news conference afterwards. 'There's a lot that happens on camera, and there are a lot of people with a ton of charisma and come out and are one way on camera and another way in the locker room. And I just haven't had the best experience, and I don't really feel like anybody needs to be insincere. They can be the way that they are. I can accept that, and I don't need that fakeness.' A stunned Świątek said she had little clue why Collins might have gotten that sense, given their limited interactions. In Italy, things started badly for Świątek and stayed that way for a while. Collins broke her serve three times in the first five games and then once more to win the first set. Świątek landed just 39 percent of her first serves in that set. Advertisement She steadied herself in the second, even saving a match point by hammering a backhand cross court winner serving at 4-5. But before that, she failed to capitalize on break point opportunities and service breaks themselves. She broke Collins in the opening game, but gave it right back. Collins got to 6-5 up, before earning three more match points when Świątek sent a backhand wide. The world No. 2, who will drop to at least world No. 4 when the WTA rankings update at the end of the tournament, saved one more match point, but could not escape the second. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Tennis, Women's Tennis 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
10-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Iga Swiatek's serve deserts her in Italian Open upset against Danielle Collins
ROME — Iga Świątek's struggles continue, at one of the last places anyone in tennis would have expected. Świątek, a master of clay-court tennis and defending champion at the Italian Open, lost to American Danielle Collins in the second round, falling 6-1, 7-5. Collins had beaten Świątek just once before in eight meetings, but on Saturday in the Campo Centrale of the Foro Italico, Collins looked like she'd had her opponents number for years. Advertisement The head-to-head record aside, world No. 35 Collins represents the sort of player Świątek has been losing to all year, in places where she tends not to lose at all: big hitters capable of jumping on her increasingly vulnerable first serve, which deserted her entirely in the first set against the American. The pressure builds behind Świątek's first serve, then her second serve, and then the rest of her game, sending her back to old patterns of play that she is trying, she said in an interview with SportoweFakty ahead of this match, to eliminate from her tennis. Over-pressing on returns sends them long or into the net. Rally balls go awry. Świątek had looked to be back to her old dominating ways during her first match in Rome against Elisabeth Cocciaretto, winning 6-1, 6-0. Collins, a former Australian Open finalist and the Miami champion last year, posed a different challenge. It may not have helped that the two have a bit of a history. At the end of their last match, at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games last summer, Collins spoke to Świątek about her retiring with an abdominal injury in the third set. Collins later said that she called Świątek's sympathy fake. 'I told Iga she didn't have to be insincere about, you know, my injury,' Collins said in a news conference afterwards. 'There's a lot that happens on camera, and there are a lot of people with a ton of charisma and come out and are one way on camera and another way in the locker room. And I just haven't had the best experience, and I don't really feel like anybody needs to be insincere. They can be the way that they are. I can accept that, and I don't need that fakeness.' A stunned Świątek said she had little clue why Collins might have gotten that sense, given their limited interactions. In Italy, things started badly for Świątek and stayed that way for a while. Collins broke her serve three times in the first five games and then once more to win the first set. Świątek landed just 39 percent of her first serves in that set. Advertisement She steadied herself in the second, even saving a match point by hammering a backhand cross court winner serving at 4-5. But before that, she failed to capitalize on break point opportunities and service breaks themselves. She broke Collins in the opening game, but gave it right back. Collins got to 6-5 up, before earning three more match points when Świątek sent a backhand wide. The world No. 2, who will drop to at least world No. 4 when the WTA rankings update at the end of the tournament, saved one more match point, but could not escape the second.
News18
07-05-2025
- Sport
- News18
Iga Swaitek Rubbishes Rumours Of Rift With Coach; Confims Wimbledon Appearance
Last Updated: The five-time Grand Slam winner has drawn a blank since winning last year's French Open. Iga Swiatek might be having a horror season so far, but she does not aim to give up anytime soon, as the Pole shunned rumours of her skipping Wimbledon and being dissatisfied with her coach. The five-time Grand Slam winner has drawn a blank since winning last year's French Open, and her latest result saw Swiatek lose her Madrid Open title in a crushing 6-1, 6-1 semi-final defeat to Coco Gauff last week. 'Sometimes I'm not happy with the way I play. It's natural, especially with my perfectionism. This can be seen on the court," Swiatek told Polish media outlet SportoweFakty in an interview. 'However, when I come off it, I can look at the season from a broader perspective. 'Then I find a lot of positives. Reaching the quarter-finals or semi-finals is a good result. Again, I am the most even player of the whole season." Swiatek also shunned the rumours of her opting out of Wimbledon. 'Who said that? You shouldn't believe that (social media comments)," Swiatek remarked. 'I don't know why this happens. Seems like you guys (the media) like to write articles that will attract more people." 'But, no. I am not skipping Wimbledon." The Pole was asked if new coach Fissette was responsible for the lack of success. 'No, this is a very harsh and unfair statement," Swiatek said. 'I can only look at the coach from my own perspective, which is the only right one for me, that is, what our work looks like every day. 'The worst results coincided with many other challenges in recent months, also in family life. I found myself at a stage of my career where I had to reformulate my thinking about myself." 'I'm happy with the work I'm doing with Wim. So I'll just continue." (with agency inputs) First Published:
New Straits Times
07-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Swiatek defends coach and psychologist despite disappointing results
Iga Swiatek has not won a tournament in almost a year, but the Polish world number two has defended her coach and psychologist despite a poor run of results and losing her place at the top of the world rankings during a difficult period. Swiatek parted ways with her coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, in October after three years, bringing Belgian Wim Fissette into her team. In November, she accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine. The five-time Grand Slam winner has drawn a blank since lifting last year's French Open title, and her most recent outing saw her relinquish her Madrid Open crown in a crushing 6-1, 6-1 semi-final defeat to Coco Gauff last week. "Sometimes I'm not happy with the way I play. It's natural, especially with my perfectionism. This can be seen on the court," Swiatek told Polish media outlet SportoweFakty in an interview. "However, when I come off it, I can look at the season from a broader perspective. "Then I find a lot of positives. Reaching the quarter-finals or semi-finals is a good result. Again, I am the most consistent player of the whole season." Swiatek was asked whether her new coach, Fissette, was responsible for the lack of success. "No, that's a very harsh and unfair statement," she said. "I can only look at the coach from my own perspective, which is the only one that matters to me – that is, what our work looks like day-to-day. "The poorer results coincided with many other challenges in recent months, including issues in my personal life. I've reached a point in my career where I've had to reformulate how I think about myself." Swiatek believes her rivals have improved, rather than her own game having regressed. "The level of tennis globally is getting higher and higher. The girls have studied my game and developed themselves," she said. "Coco Gauff, who has always been a great talent, is older now and has more experience. Aryna [Sabalenka] managed to break through the semi-finals and began winning titles." The 23-year-old has worked with sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz for the past six years. Swiatek was asked whether she ever felt their collaboration had run its course. "No. People don't realise it, but almost every year brings new challenges," she replied. "When I was suspended, I didn't want to step onto the court at all for a few weeks. It was the most difficult experience of my career. Daria is a constant support for me – someone I trust. This is my team, and I decide who's in it. "I get irritated by headlines talking about breakdowns or mental crises. Of course, sometimes I get frustrated on court. Sometimes I'm not as focused as I'd like to be. "But I work, day in and day out, week in and week out, to improve. So there's no reason to make strange judgements or look for signs of fatigue or burnout."
