"Balls felt like potatoes" - Iga Swiatek addresses Middle East circumstances and angry outburst after turning the page at Indian Wells

Iga Swiatek lashed out at the balls used at the 2025 editions of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The WTA No. 2, was among the favorites at both WTA 1000 events. However, in Qatar, she suffered a crushing defeat in the semifinals before living a similarly chastening experience in the quarterfinals in Dubai.

The former No. 1 and five-time Grand Slam champion is participating in the WTA 1000 event in the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Following her dominant 6-1, 6-1 fourth-round win over the crafty Karolina Muchova in the Californian desert, Swiatek reflected on her losses in Doha and Dubai during her post-match press conference.

The Pole spoke about her annoyance, particularly after her Dubai exit. At the time, Swiatek refused to shake hands with coach Wim Fissette following her 3-6, 3-6 quarterfinal defeat at the hands of Russian teen prodigy Mirra Andreeva.

"Well, everybody is annoyed and angry when they lose. I was expecting a bit better results in terms of just which round I lost, you know, in Doha and Dubai. But honestly, these tournaments have been tougher than for past years. You can even see going on my Wikipedia how did the matches look like past years and this year, for example. So for sure it was a different story. I was annoyed, but who isn't, you know?," Iga Swiatek said.

Next, the Pole spoke up about her mentality in terms of moving on from the losses and arriving in Indian Wells with a renewed hunger for success. She also likened the Doha and Dubai balls to "potatoes".

"I think in tennis it's important to just let it go and focus on the future, and I have been doing it pretty well, you know. I'm not expecting to win every tournament. So after Dubai, yeah, we had also a bit more time to practice, and I also accepted that sometimes with different circumstances it might be, you know, tougher for my game to be at the best, you know. The balls were pretty terrible in Doha, Dubai. They felt like potatoes, so I guess I just kind of refocused and practiced here so I can feel a bit better," Iga Swiatek added.

Swiatek will face either Zheng Qinwen or Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals of the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Iga Swiatek has a dominant head-to-head record against both Zheng Qinwen and Marta Kostyuk

Iga Swiatek at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (Source: Getty)

Iga Swiatek has faced Zheng Qinwen on seven occasions, with the Pole boasting an impressive 6-1 win-loss record against the talented Chinese. However, interestingly, their last meeting, in the women's singles semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, went Zheng's way. Swiatek ultimately had to settle for the bronze medal, while Zheng clinched gold.

Against Marta Kostyuk, Swiatek has a flawless 3-0 win-loss record. The Pole and the Ukrainian's last meeting came in the Round of 16 at the 2024 Cincinnati Open. Here, Swiatek registered a 6-2, 6-2 win.

Swiatek is the defending women's singles champion at Indian Wells. She is a two-time champion in the Californian desert. Her title triumphs (2022 and 2024) came following straight-set wins over Maria Sakkari in the finals.