Iga Swiatek’s Team Addresses Psychologist’s Absence in Madrid Amid Health Concerns

Iga Swiatek had come into the Madrid Open with a clear goal: to improve herself. The World No. 4 had a forgettable hard-court season in 2025 and parted ways with Wim Fissette earlier this year. She appointed Francisco Roig as her new coach ahead of the clay swing in hopes of contending for titles once again. However, a noticeable change has taken place in Swiatek’s support team ever since Roig took over. Her long-time psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, has been absent for the past two tournaments.

The last time that Daria had attended Swiatek’s match was at the Miami Open when Fissette was still in the team. Her absence has led to speculation about her leaving the Pole’s team after joining her in 2019. However, Swiatek’s manager, Daria Sulgostowska, has now provided clarity over the situation and has revealed why Daria is not present for the Madrid Open.

“Daria Abramowicz is not in Madrid, she has health issues at the moment, she will join the team in Rome. Nevertheless, I repeat that it is normal for the team to rotate and it is nothing extraordinary. And all kinds of rumors related to this are harmful not only to the staff members, but also to the player herself, who focuses on sports preparation,” Sulgostowska told TVSport.PL.

Though this very much confirms that Daria is still a part of the team, many of Swiatek’s fans want her to leave the Pole’s side for good. The psychologist had joined the player when she was just 17 and was still playing junior tennis. Swiatek had even credited Daria for making her “smarter” after her maiden Grand Slam triumph at the 2020 French Open. However, it appears that major cracks have appeared in their relationship, especially in recent years.

It had all begun at the 2025 Indian Wells semi-final, where Swiatek was defeated by eventual champion Mirra Andreeva. With the game not really going her way, a frustrated Swiatek had hit a ball straight towards the direction of a ball boy. While it didn’t make contact with the boy, boos rang all around the stadium against the Pole. Many fans had blamed Daria for Swiatek’s overly aggressive behavior on the court, as she herself was seen shouting from the stands during the match.

Things only got worse at the 2026 Indian Wells during Swiatek’s quarterfinal clash against Elina Svitolina. The World No. 2 went on to lose that match 2-6, 6-4, 4-6, but it was her on-court behavior that grabbed headlines once again. After Svitolina broke her serve at a crucial stage in the third set, Swiatek had a meltdown on court, where she first slammed her towel to the ground before having a heated exchange with her team members, including Daria, who was again present in the stands.

Though the two haven’t openly criticized each other as of yet, Daria still remains a controversial figure. However, despite all of the past incidents, it looks like Swiatek isn’t in any mood to part ways with Daria as of now. She has only decided to change her main coach for the time being, and the rest of her team is still the same.

Roig, who had previously spent 18 years in Rafael Nadal’s coaching team and had achieved monumental success with him, was expected to bring a change in Swiatek’s results, especially during the clay swing. But the Pole didn’t have a great start under him at the Stuttgart Open.

Swiatek suffered a second-round defeat to Mirra Andreeva in Stuttgart. Having previously won the tournament in 2022 and 2023, the Pole was among the favorites to clinch the title this year but ended up facing an early exit.

The 24-year-old had hoped to bring a change to her fortunes in Madrid, but things went from bad to worse.

Iga Swiatek leaves the court in tears at Madrid Open

Swiatek started her campaign on a strong note, defeating Daria Snigur 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round. She then locked horns against Ann Li in the second round, and this is where things went downhill for the former World No. 1

The Pole lost the opening set 6-7 but fought back brilliantly to clinch the second set 6-2 and level the match. However, she would go on to lose the first two games of the deciding set before calling for a medical timeout. Swiatek appeared to be struggling due to the hot conditions in Madrid.

Soon, a doctor came to her side and checked her vitals and temperature before the play resumed. But Swiatek would then lose the third game as well and would decide to retire from the match. She was seen crying while leaving the Arantxa Sanchez Stadium.

This early exit can severely affect Swiatek’s ranking, as she had made it to the semifinals of the Madrid Open last year. It is safe to say that it has been a tough start to the clay-court season for her, and she will likely be in action at the Rome Masters next, which is another highly important tournament.

Will Swiatek be able to regain her form under Roig’s guidance, or will her ranking plummet further in the coming months? Let us know what you think in the comments!

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