Świątek Blames Poor Decision for Her Exit at the French Open

Iga Świątek has blamed her unexpected fourth‑round exit at the 2026 French Open on tension and poor decision‑making.

Świątek was defeated 7‑5, 6‑1 by 15th‑seeded Marta Kostyuk on Court Philippe‑Chatrier on her 25th birthday.

After the loss, Świątek admitted that she lost control of the match when Kostyuk exploited her mental lapses.

It was a birthday to forget for the Polish champion, who has not captured a clay‑court title since her 2024 French Open victory, and she was clear about why Kostyuk won so decisively.

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“I lost control of the match, and there was no way to come back, because I felt worse and worse. This isn’t positive, and this is different than losing to Elina Svitolina in Rome or to Mirra Andreeva in Stuttgart,” Świątek told Reuters.

“It’s not great. I know I lost because I was tense, and my body couldn’t do… the proper things, but it’s not the first time, as well. So yeah, I just need to work on it.”

“Honestly, maybe the toughest loss is when you had the match in your hands, you made stupid decisions, you let it go and your opponent suddenly came back.”

“It’s also bad when your tennis is terrible, and you know you were worse than the players you play with. But I feel I lost today because Marta used the opportunity and I was super tense.”

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Świątek said she is fully aware of what she needs to improve and will not rush the process.

“Maybe it’s not going to take one week or one month,” the six‑time Grand Slam champion added. “Maybe it’s going to take even a season or something, but I need to believe that I can work through this and not be thrown off so quickly.”

She will need to recover quickly ahead of the grass‑court season as she aims to defend her Wimbledon title when the tournament begins on June 29.

“I haven’t thought about grass at all,” Świątek said.