Coach Wim Fissette reveals Iga Swiatek battled a foot issue throughout the US Open and was able to play only after taking pre-match injections to numb the pain.
After winning Wimbledon and Cincinnati, Swiatek lost one set en route to making the US Open quarterfinal. But against Amanda Anisimova, the world No. 2 was subpar and ended up suffering a shock 4-6 3-6 loss to the American. The Pole, who double-bageled Anisimova in the Wimbledon final, was never in control during their US Open match as she got completely outplayed.
Now, in an interview with a Polish publication, coach Fissette shared that Swiatek sustained a foot injury during Cincinnati.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We had some problems before the tournament started, related to a blister on my foot. We had to be very careful," Fissette told sport.pl.
Fissette: Swiatek never before played with a numb foot
Fissette went on to note that Swiatek's physio and strength and conditioning coach did their best to put the 24-year-old in as good a position as possible to go out and play. But playing with her foot anaesthetized was completely new territory for the six-time Grand Slam champion - and her coach feared she may not even be able to play.
"For me, definitely. There was a moment when I thought, 'Maybe she won't be able to play.' And that's also a difficult situation for a player. Iga isn't one of those players who has a lot of injuries; she's usually in great shape and feels good. It's a situation where you never know how a player will cope mentally. Playing with a numb foot means you approach matches with much more thought than a normal match, which was a big challenge. I'm proud of Iga for how she handled it, and I think we can be happy with this quarterfinal," Fissette explained.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the same interview, Fissette said that Swiatek agreed to play at this week's tournament in Seoul only after the doctors confirmed her foot would be 100 percent. The Pole is the top seed in Seoul and has a first-round bye.
