Anisimova, Swiatek depart Wimbledon searching for answers
Twelve months ago, Amanda Anisimova and Iga Swiatek were the last two players remaining in the women's field at Wimbledon. But a common thread linked them in the 2026 tournament, too as they each departed disappointed and looking for answers after stinging third-round defeats.
Swiatek saw her title defense end at the hands of Alexandra Eala and admitted that she's going back to the drawing board to "get [her] tennis better" after an erratic performance. The Pole made 44 unforced errors against Eala -- half from her forehand wing -- and failed to convert either of two set point chances in the opening set of her 7-6(9), 6-2 defeat. The former World No. 1 has not reached a final on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz since last September, and while she will still be the Top 10 of the PIF WTA Rankings when Wimbledon concludes, her position in the Race to the WTA Finals -- 11th -- reflects a season that has struggled to reach her admittedly lofty standards.
It's something Swiatek hopes to push out of her mind in the upcoming summer hard-court season and beyond.
"Honestly, I don't care anymore about the results," she said. "I've been so focused on them that it's hard to continue like that. So I'm really trying to, like, let it go. 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."
Anisimova, meanwhile, won the first set of her 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 loss to Madison Keys, but also struggled to find the range on her strokes.
"It's been really, really tough," she said after making 42 unforced errors -- 27 of which came from her forehand -- against Keys. "I feel like I'm doing everything I can and working really hard. So for my game to still be at this point, it's really hard to digest and take."
The American missed two months with a left wrist injury earlier this year. She says that she would usually look at subpar performances as a learning opportunity, but that it's been "really hard to see a silver lining" since returning last month at Roland Garros.
"For me, it wasn't enjoyable to play out there today with my tennis being like that," she added. "It was really, really tough. And when I'm happy and I'm enjoying it, it's when I'm able to play my tennis. But when I'm not able to make one forehand in the court, it's really, really hard. So, I don't know. I need to go home and take some time and figure out how I can fix this."