Eala's courage proved decisive, says deposed champion Swiatek

Iga Swiatek conceded that Alexandra Eala displayed crucial courage in the pivotal moments of their match, ultimately leading to Swiatek's unexpected third-round exit from Wimbledon. The defending champion battled through a tight 84-minute opening set that slipped away in a tiebreak, but her challenge ultimately faded as Eala gained confidence and secured the biggest upset of the tournament thus far.

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I don't think it's the same as in Paris. In Paris it was completely about me not handling the pressure well. I was firing shots. Today... I was mis-hitting half of these returns. I lost many points. Maybe if I watch, I'm going to see something else.

Unlike her French Open loss, which Swiatek attributed to pressure, she stated that her Wimbledon defeat stemmed purely from her own game's deficiencies. "Today... I was mis-hitting half of these returns. I lost many points," Swiatek told reporters. She noted that while she fought back in the tiebreaker and after being a break down in the first set, Eala was brave enough to play faster in crucial moments.

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I was there to fight. It wasn't enough ... in the tiebreak, when it was tight, I slowed down a bit, but she was brave enough to play a bit faster. You need to be brave in Wimbledon to win these points.

Swiatek's year has been marked by inconsistency, with early exits at the Australian Open, Qatar, and Indian Wells, followed by defeats in Miami and an up-and-down clay court season. Her grass court preparations were also underwhelming. Despite these results, Swiatek expressed a desire to "trust the process" and focus less on outcomes. "I don't have good results, so I'm not going to expect for myself good results because they're just not happening. I'm not on that level yet. I need to work from the beginning and try to just get my tennis better," she added.

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Well, you need to trust the process. I don't care anymore about the results. I've been so focused on them that it's hard to continue like that. So I'm trying to let it go.