‘I Don’t Belong Here’: Swiatek Shocks With Revelation About First WTA Tournament

Since 2022, Iga Swiatek has been the most successful WTA player in the world, but the Pole was not always as confident as she is today.

Swiatek first became world No. 1 in April 2022, overtaking Ashleigh Barty, who had retired the previous month. Barty chose to step away from the sport because of a loss of motivation after achieving her childhood dream of winning Wimbledon.

Since overtaking the retired Australian, Swiatek dominated the No. 1 spot. Her only spell away from the summit between April 2022 and October 2024 was a brief period after the 2023 US Open when Aryna Sabalenka took her place.

An outstanding run of results during the closing months of 2024, including winning a maiden US Open title, led to Sabalenka overtaking Swiatek for a second time in October last year, a few weeks after securing the Wuhan Open title.

Sabalenka was helped by Swiatek missing the entire Asian swing. Fans discovered on November 28th that the Pole missed that period of the season because of being provisionally suspended after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.

Swiatek managed to prove that the melatonin tablets she bought were contaminated with trimetazidine, meaning she only received a one-month ban. Most of that time had been served provisionally before it was lifted.

The four-time French Open champion made a strong start to the 2025 WTA season by reaching a second consecutive United Cup final with Team Poland, but Swiatek caused controversy during that run.

Some fans questioned her decision to take a medical timeout after Katie Boulter went up by a break in the deciding set of their quarterfinal match, a contest Swiatek went on to win 6-4 in the third set.

Swiatek’s medical timeout against Coco Gauff in the final against Team USA felt even more questionable. The 23-year-old took it with Gauff just one game from victory in the second set and admitted afterward she was tired and not injured

That move did not stop Gauff from winning the next game and sealing a 6-4, 6-4 triumph. Team USA went on to win the tie 2-0 and seal a second United Cup title, also triumphing at the team event in 2023.

Despite that loss, Swiatek remains one of the best women’s players in the world. However, the world No. 2 recounted during an appearance on Caroline Garcia’s podcast, The Tennis Insider Club, how she felt out of place during her first WTA tournament in Auckland.

“I remember the first tournament I played in Auckland. I literally told my coach: “I don’t belong here”. Let’s go back to ITFs. But then I went to (…) the second round (of the Australian Open) and the fourth round of Roland Garros… Everybody has doubts.”

“Even if somebody says that they were confident from the beginning, I guess that’s not really 100% true… It went pretty quickly, honestly. I went through every stage really fast. (The injuries) were the only thing sometimes stopping me.”

Someone of Swiatek’s caliber having doubts in her first tournament might provide hope to lower-ranked players facing similar thoughts at the start of their journeys.