The grass court horrors have continued for world No.1 Iga Swiatek after she crashed out of a major in the 3rd Round for the second time this year when beaten at Wimbledon in a major upset on Saturday.
The 23-year-old is the premier clay court player in the women’s tennis, as evidenced by another triumph at Roland Garros last month, but the Polish champion’s inability to master the intricacies of grass continued when she was beaten by Yulia Putintseva 3-6 6-1 6-2.
The four-time Roland Garros champion, who also won a US Open in 2021, looked increasingly dejected as her hopes of breaking her drought at the All England Lawn tennis Club slipped away from her in an errant display.
Swiatek, who also lost in the third round of the Australian Open in January, was particularly wayward with her forehand when making 29 unforced errors from the wing from the 38 errors she made overall.
Her 35th rival, who recently defeated Australian Ajla Tomljanovic in the final of an ATP Tour event in Birmingham, made only 15 unforced errors in contrast in a superb display of grass court tennis.
The loss will raise questions about the five-time major champion’s preparation for Wimbledon, for Swiatek opted against playing any lead-in events. While her winning strike rate on clay is near 90 percent, it dips to 66 percent on grass, a surface she is yet to win a title on.
Prior to the tournament, former Wimbledon semifinalist Jelena Dokic said that as brilliant as the right-hander is, she will never claim the trophy at the All England Lawn Tennis Club until she commits to a proper grass court preparation given the skills needed to succeed on grass.
After lifting the Suzanne Lenglen Cup in Paris, Swiatek conceded she was not at ease on grass and that she was looking forward to returning to Roland Garros for the 2024 Olympics.
Ons Jabeur, a finalist for the past two years at Wimbledon, will also be absent from the second week of the tournament after she was beaten by Elina Svitolina 6-1 7-6 (4).
Source Agencies
