In the days leading up to the 2020 French Open, Iga Swiatek was struggling through one of the biggest crises of her career. Having started the Covid-delayed autumn clay-court season with lofty hopes in her first year since graduating from high school, expectations were high. But in her final warmup event, the Italian Open, she endured a desperate, “traumatic” defeat against Arantxa Rus, the world No 71, in the first round.
Swiatek retreated back to Poland with her small team, where they held talks about her direction and progress. Doubt festered in her mind. When she arrived at Roland Garros, the then 18-year-old struggled through practice, unable to escape her negative spiral. Her mood was so low that she made a bet with her sports psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, to see if she could just get through one training session without any drama. Swiatek spent the days before the tournament questioning her future.
