Iga Swiatek’s father Tomasz says some of the comments made about her daughter are plain “false assumptions” but adds that he is not interested in publicly correcting “the so-called experts.”
This Monday, the Polish tennis superstar entered her 122nd week at the world No. 1 spot, making it past Ashleigh Barty on the seventh place for the most weeks spent at the top spot. Previously this year, the 23-year-old Pole completed a three-peat at the French Open and became a five-time Grand Slam champion at a young age.
But although Swiatek has been the best player in the game since Barty’s stunning retirement, she is no stranger to criticism in scrutiny. For example, some have been putting out a notion out there that she can’t really win Grand Slams outside clay – she has one title at the US Open.
Following the Pole’s loss to Yulia Putintseva in the Wimbledon third round, critics used that as an argument for their claims that she would never figure how to play on grass. After the four-time French Open champion got upset by Zheng Qinwen in the Paris Olympics semifinal, some started questioning her mental strength.
Also, some have been claiming that Swiatek doesn’t really have a Plan B when things don’t go well out there. Earlier this month, John McEnroe even said that the world No. 1 at times looks like she “does not want to play a defense at all” and that she should “pull back on faster surfaces when the offense isn’t going as well as it can do on clay.”
Tomasz Swiatek: Many ‘experts’ speak, but have absolutely no idea…
While he didn’t specifically address any particular criticism, Swiatek’s father made it clear that he felt the majority of that made no sense.
“People write various things, but I decided from the beginning that I wouldn’t fight windmills. If I wanted to correct false assumptions, I wouldn’t do anything else, and I don’t have time for that. People evaluate things differently, but they have this in common: when things are going well, almost everyone praises, and when there’s one stumble or defeat, criticism begins immediately. It’s hard to say where this comes from,” the Pole’s dad told SportoweFakty.
“I won’t talk about specifics, because it doesn’t make sense. The point is that many ‘experts’ speak up, although they have absolutely no idea about the factors that affect results and career or tennis development. They make theses that are often not supported by reality. This leads nowhere, and introduces chaos. However, I realize that I can’t fix the world on my own.”
Tomasz Swiatek and Iga Swiatek© YouTube screenshot
Then, the 60-year-old underlined that his daughter is “not a machine” and that it is normal for her to go through ups and downs.
“I don’t mean to put her on a pedestal, but to treat her like a person who also needs support and is not a machine insensitive to everything. I would like her to feel appreciated even in her weaker moments. It’s great that there are many fans who give support and positive comments or messages even in difficult moments,” he said.
Tomasz Swiatek: I let her live her own life
Throughout tennis history, there have been numerous cases where players dealt with overly obsessive fathers. But several years ago – even before the Pole this big of a superstar – her dad thought about some things and decided that he would remain the biggest support for his daughter but would also let her make her own decisions and go about her life and career the way she wants.
“I didn’t cut her off, because I’m still with her, I go to many tournaments. However, I try to have my own life and let Iga live and work the way she wants. I talked to her about it before I came to the Olympics. She agreed, she wanted me to be with her during the tournament, I’m glad that I can be with her in the role of a parent. It’s really more beneficial for everyone when there’s a division of roles and responsibilities. The result is good results on the court. We are, above all, a family, and family is not work. Iga has specialists for that,” the 60-year-old said.
However, it wasn’t an easy decision for him as a father to make.
“Of course, it wasn’t easy for me at first, but there was a moment when I went through a lot of things and understood what my role was,” he admitted.
Meanwhile, Swiatek is currently out of action. After withdrawing from Seoul last week, she also pulled out of this week’s WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing due to “personal reasons.”