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Iga Swiatek stepped out of her comfort zone to plead for a change in the media coverage she attracts and the time has come to show some respect to a player who has already given so much in the sport.

At the tender age of 23, Swiatek is a five-time Grand Slam winner, with that stunning record already placing her alongside Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova in the list of all-time tennis greats.

Yet it has been evident from the moment she landed on the biggest stages in tennis that she shied away from the spotlight that inevitably falls on the sport’s biggest stars.

This shy Polish superstar has grown into her role as one of the most recognisable faces in tennis, but she is still clearly uncomfortable when the narrative turns against her, as it did when she stuck a ball in anger in Indian Wells and nearly struck a ball kid.

“First, about the incident during my last match. It’s true – I expressed frustration in a way I’m not proud of,” she wrote in a passionate statement on Instagram.

“My intention was never to aim the ball at anyone but merely to release my frustration by bouncing it on the ground.

“I immediately apologised to the ball boy, we made eye contact, and nodded to each other when I expressed regret that it happened near him.

“I’ve seen many players bounce balls in frustration, and frankly, I didn’t expect such harsh judgments. Usually, I control such impulses, so half-jokingly I can say I lack experience in this and misjudged my aim in the heat of the moment.”

It was an apology that many players would not have offered up and it came from a young woman clearly struggling to come to terms with a tumultuous few months in her life.

A positive doping test threw her world into chaos at the back end of 2024 and even though she was not to blame for the banned substance entering her system, it was another storm she did not want to be a part of.

When an incident like that occurs, you get a chance to gauge the level of support you have in the sport and it was noticeable that the media backing Iga was limited at best.

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She may be a great champion, but her popularity rating has never matched her success on court, with many fans and media struggling to warm to a player who is always generous with her time and doing her best to shine in an environment she does not enjoy.

“Regarding emotional expression,” she said in her Instagram statement. “The second half of last year was extremely challenging for me, especially due to the positive doping test and how circumstances completely beyond my control took away my chance to fight for the highest sporting goals at the end of the season.

“This forced me to rearrange certain things within myself. In Australia, after weaker performances in previous years, I played without expectations, and focused solely on my work, accepting that another Australian Open might not go my way regardless of my efforts. Thanks to this mindset, I performed very well and was close to reaching the final.

“In the Middle East, however, it struck me hard that my positive test result case, missing two highly-ranked tournaments in October, and last year’s exceptional results (winning four 1000-level tournaments and a Grand Slam in the first half of the season) will keep affecting my ranking and basically take away my chance for No 1.

“This realisation deeply upset me. You could see this on the court in Dubai.

“I know that playing while stuck in past frustrations, over things beyond my control, isn’t the right path. My team and I recognised this issue almost immediately (with their experience, probably faster than anyone could imagine), but shifting perspective takes significant time, effort, and team support.”

“Working on oneself isn’t something you achieve once and keep forever,” the Pole added. “Sometimes we take two steps forward and one step back.

“I’m facing new elements of this puzzle all the time: circumstances change, my experiences evolve, I evolve, opponents evolve, and I must constantly adapt. It’s never easy, and it’s particularly challenging for me right now.”

We often want our sports stars to express their inner feelings on court on during interviews and Swiatek did that with her Instagram post, but the reaction was not entirely positive.

Swiatek’s Instagram statement was questioned on the latest edition of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, with the sportswoman who was pleading for support struggling to win over her doubters.

“Sport is not played by robots,” added Swiatek. “I’ve had three incredible seasons, but nothing comes effortlessly, and there’s no guarantee results will always be easy or under control. That’s life, and that’s sport. Sometimes even I forget that.”

“Secondly, constant judgment. When I’m highly focused and don’t show many emotions on court, I’m called a robot, my attitude is labelled as inhuman. Now that I’m more expressive, showing feelings or struggling internally, I’m suddenly labelled immature or hysterical.

“That’s not a healthy standard – especially considering that just six months ago, I felt my career was hanging by a thread, spent three weeks crying daily, and didn’t want to step on the court. Today, after everything I’ve been through, I’m still processing and coming to terms with those experiences.

“Will sharing this change anything? Probably not, because I clearly see how much we love judging, creating theories, and imposing opinions on others. But perhaps a few people who genuinely want to understand what I’m experiencing will understand this.”

Stories emerging in recent days questioning the influence of psychologist Daria Abramowicz on Swiatek were another negative episode in the career of a player who has already won a staggering $35,035,177 and could happily walk away from the sport tomorrow if the negatives outweighed the positives.

So many young players step back from tennis when the pressure becomes too intense and we all have a responsibility to ensure Swiatek is not the next player who decides life away from tennis is more attractive than remaining on court.

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Rafael Nadal has shared his thoughts on whether Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz could emulate him, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Djokovic, Nadal and Federer are widely considered to be the three greatest players in the history of men’s tennis.

From Federer’s first Grand Slam triumph at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships to Djokovic’s most recent at the 2023 US Open, the Big Three won an astonishing 66 of the 81 majors held. Djokovic has secured a record 24, while Nadal and Federer retired on 22 on 20 respectively.

Alcaraz and Sinner are the two leading stars of their generation and they split the four Grand Slam titles between them in 2024

Last year, Sinner won his maiden major at the Australian Open before adding the US Open title, while Alcaraz collected the French Open and Wimbledon crowns to take his Grand Slam tally to four.

The duo are the only ATP players born after 1996 to win a Grand Slam title, with 2021 US Open winner Daniil Medvedev, who is 28, the next-youngest men’s Slam champion.

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Nadal believes Sinner and Alcaraz are capable of matching, or even surpassing, the Big Three.

“If we’ve done it, others can do it, and things are there to be improved,” the former world No 1 said at a publicity event, as quoted by Eurosport Spain.

“Obviously, there are two players who are above the rest: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and there were three of us for almost too many years.

“Thanks to the demands we set for each other, we’ve made our careers something that was difficult to imagine years ago, and now new generations are coming who will fight to surpass us.”

The 38-year-old Spaniard, who called time on his incredible career in November last year, also spoke about his life in retirement.

“I’m living a more or less organised and focused life,” Nadal explained.

“I’m not someone who likes to do nothing, and that’s why in the years leading up to my retirement, I had my family and team who prepared my future and what to do. I have the Academy, which is a vital project in that sense; we’re expanding, and it takes time.

“He also spoke about his future prospects. I’m discovering what I like, too. Sports and education are something that interests me and I like, and I’m directing my future toward that..

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz looks to tie elusive Michael Chang record with Miami Open triumph

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Novak Djokovic has spoken candidly about his search for form and prospects of winning more big titles ahead of his return to the Miami Open.

The legendary Serb is set to make his first appearance at the Masters 1000 tournament in Miami since 2019.

The world No 5, who has won a joint-record six titles at the event, will face Rinky Hijikata in his opening match.

Djokovic arrives in Miami having lost his last three matches — his longest losing streak since 2018.

The 37-year-old retired after losing the first set of his Australian Open semi-final with Alexander Zverev due to a hamstring injury.

The 24-time major winner has lost his two opening matches since the Melbourne Grand Slam: to Matteo Berrettini at the Qatar Open and Botic van de Zandschulp in Indian Wells.

Speaking in his pre-tournament press conference in Miami, Djokovic assessed his start to the season.

“I’m in pursuit to find the desired level of tennis. I haven’t played my best or even close in Indian Wells and Doha,” Djokovic admitted.

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“I haven’t been able to find that quality of tennis that I’ve been looking for. I’m working hard giving it my all on the practice courts and eventually it’s going to come. I know that, hopefully here.

“I played great in Australia. I thought I had a pretty good shot at the title in Melbourne. Unfortunately, it ended for me the way it ended, but nevertheless, it’s still encouraging for me to see that I was able to play the way I was playing Australia.

“I’m still able to win against the likes of Alcaraz. That’s probably the biggest reason why I still keep pushing myself, motivating myself because I know I still have it in my legs, in my hands, in my arms.

“I still have that tennis level that can put me in a good position to win the biggest titles in sport.”

The former world No 1 also reflected on winning his maiden Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open in 2007.

“I’m not a teenager anymore but I’m still playing and I’m still in love with this sport and that Miami win in 2007 was my first Masters 1000 category when it was the biggest title,’’ he said.

“It opened so many doors for me and made me believe in myself more and made me believe that I deserved to be in the mix with the best players in the world, that I’m able to win the biggest title, so it was a huge springboard.

“It meant the world at the time and 18 years later here we are, another Miami. I missed it. I look forward in getting out in front of the very vibrant crowd.

“It’s very international, many South Americans who love tennis. I always loved the atmosphere in Miami. I always thought it was very unique. I can’t wait to get the sensation of walking out on centre court in front of them.”

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Rafael Nadal has won nearly everything there is to win in the world of tennis – most of it on multiple occasions.

Four US Open titles, two at Wimbledon and the Australian Open – not forgetting his 14 trophies at Roland Garros.

His Masters 1000 record was, similarly, impressive, playing 500 matches and winning 36 of such events.

However, one ‘mark’ against the Spaniard is his record in Miami Open finals, losing all five showpiece matches in which Nadal participated.

Here, we take a look back at each of the finals.

2005 – against Roger Federer

One of Nadal’s most notable early matches was a third-round match at the Miami Open against world No 1 Roger Federer. The young Spaniard was victorious 6-3, 6-3 in the first-ever singles match between the two.

In 2005, the pair would meet once again in Miami, this time in the final.

Nadal, en route to the showpiece match, had beaten Rainer Schuttler, Fernando Verdasco, Ivan Ljubicic, Thomas Johansson, and David Ferrer.

The Spaniard got off to a flying start, taking the opening set 6-2 with pinpoint passing shots which left his opponent helpless.

Federer attempted to come back strongly, racing to a 5-2 lead in the second set, but failed to capitilise on multiple set points – before Nadal took the set 7-6(4).

The turning point of the match occurred in the third set, with Nadal 4-3 up and just two points from a crucial break. The 20-time Grand Slam champion appeared to hit a forehand which sailed long, but the umpire didn’t make a call. Hawkeye, which wasn’t available to players at the time, showed that the ball was, indeed, long.

Subsequently, Federer took the third set 7-6(5), before dominating the fourth and fifth sets – 6-3, 6-1.

After the heartbreaking match, Nadal stated:  “Federer is a player that makes mistakes, that’s not his strength. His strength resides in being able to surprise you, and in not making mistakes in the most important moments.”

2008 – against Nikolay Davydenko

Three years and three Grand Slam titles later, Nadal had put himself back in the Miami Open final.

The world No 2 had beaten Benjamin Becker, Nicolas Kiefer, Paul-Henri Mathieu, James Blake, and Tomas Berdych.

In the final, Nadal faced fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko, a match-up which had always gone the distance in their previous two matches.

The two traded breaks early on, with Nadal taking some time to ease into the final. However, a loose service game at 3-3 would hand Davydenko his second break of the set – enough to claim it 6-4.

Nadal’s start to the second set would be equally disappointing, being broken in his opening service game, before subsequently going down a double break.

That would be enough for the Russian, who claimed the final 6-4, 6-1 with an inside-out forehand winner.

2011 – against Novak Djokovic

By 2011, Nadal had truly established himself as a legend of the sport and was the dominant world No 1. However, unfortunately for him, another great was on the rise – Novak Djokovic.

The Serbian was on a 23-match winning streak by the time the Miami final arrived, winning the Australian Open, Dubai, and Indian Wells events.

En route to the final, Nadal overcame Kei Nishikori, Feliciano Lopez, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Berdych, and Roger Federer.

Unlike in 2008, the world No 1 began the match in impressive fashion, opening up the court with his trusted forehand-to-backhand combination, with Djokovic unable to effectively redirect the ball.

The form would hand Nadal the first set 6-4, but a mid-set break in the second would force the showpiece match to a deciding set.

Both would continue to hold their serves, with the Spaniard being just two points away from victory at 6-5 30-30.

Djokovic raced off to a 5-2 lead in the tiebreak, before Nadal reclaimed one minibreak, with the Serb claiming the title with yet another attacking forehand to his opponent’s backhand.

The 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) final took three hours and nine minutes to be completed, the longest three-set final in the tournament’s history.

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2014 – against Novak Djokovic

Along the way to the final, Nadal had beaten Lleyton Hewitt, Denis Istomin, Fabio Fognini, and Milos Raonic – before Berdych withdrew before their last-four match.

The 2014 final, however, was, arguably, the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s least competitive. He managed to produce a break point in the first game of the match but was unable to produce another for the rest of the final.

Djokovic, once again, proved the victor and did so via a sensational 30-shot rally – claiming a 6-3, 6-3 win.

After four final losses, Nadal was asked about his inability to lift the trophy in Miami.

“Miami is the same level as Indian Wells, same level as Cincinnati, Toronto, Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid,” the Spanaird commented.

“The quality of the tournament is Masters 1000 that I won 26, so I cannot have a mental block on that.

“No, no frustration. That’s tennis. That’s the sport.”

2017 – against Roger Federer

2017 marked a resurgent year for both Nadal and Federer, having competed alongside each other in the season’s first Grand Slam final.

The Swiss had claimed a third consecutive victory against the Spaniard just a week prior at Indian Wells, with a dominant 6-2, 6-3 performance.

En route to the final in 2017, Nadal defeated David Sela, Philip Kohlschreiber, Nicolas Mahut, Jack Sock, and Fabio Fognini – dropping just one set along the way.

From the outset, the Spaniard looked far stronger than he did at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, producing a break point in Federer’s first service game.

However, whilst it was a closer affair, Federer’s more aggressive backhand proved to be an effective anecdote to Nada’s heavy topspin, breaking at 4-3 before taking the first set 6-3.

The second set remained on serve until 4-4, before the Swiss made his move, breaking and, eventually, serving out the second set 6-4 with a Nadal backhand going long.

After the match, the runner-up stated: “I just can say thank you very much to everybody here in Miami.

“Miami has been a very good two weeks for me, even if I lost for the third time this year against Roger. It was a good start to the season, playing already in three finals.

“It’s disappointing for me that I have been trying during all my career. Every three years, I am here in this position but always with the smaller trophy.”

The post Rafael Nadal – A review of his 0-5 record in Miami Open finals appeared first on Tennis365.

Jack Draper jumped into the top 10 of ATP Rankings for the first time in his career after his impressive win at the Indian Wells Masters, as became the only left-handed player in the list of the game’s top male players.

Yet a curious fact links both Draper and 22-time Grand Slam-winning legend Rafael Nadal as while both of them play tennis left-handed, they are natural right handers, as confirmed by Drapers mother Nicky.

“Believe it or not, he picked up a racket for the first time when he was just one and you could see from a very young age that Jack had incredible hand-eye coordination,” Nicky told the LTA.

“He has always played tennis left-handed. He writes right-handed, he was a right-handed thrower, but he always held a racket with his left hand and while I am often credited with starting Jack in tennis, but it was actually my Mum who was the inspiration.

“She played county tennis for Oxfordshire and Dorset and my brother also played at a good level and represented Great Britain, so tennis was a big part of our family when I had my sons Ben and Jack.

“At the time, I was coaching at Sutton Tennis and Squash Club and Jack used to come down and watch, probably starting when he was two and a half. I had started doing tiny tots sessions for kids who were as young as three and Jack would always join in. He loved other sports as a child, but tennis became a priority very quickly.”

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Draper reflects on his early days in tennis fondly, as he admits his move to play left handed has taken away what could have been a big weakness in his game.

“Weirdly enough, my leftiness is a big plus, but I think the fact I’m actually a right-hander, so I think that really helps me,” he said last week.

“My forehand has been improving all the time. My forehand is naturally the shot where, you know, I’m not as comfortable. It’s always been my backhand which has been the shot, like, I can hit with my eyes closed, you know.

“I really have no problem against any player with their forehand into my backhand. Usually, that’s something where players struggle, but with myself, that’s a big strength of mine. So I think the mix of that is a big advantage.”

When aksed to explain why he is right-handed and plays tennis with his left hand prdominently, Draper simply smiles and says: “I’m just a weird guy”.

One noticeable change in Draper over recent weeks and months has been in his dealing with the media and his reactions on court.

Naturally shy, he was often reluctant to open up in front of the media or express his joy and despair on court, as he preferred to bottle up his emotions.

That may have contributed to his physical issues on court, with former Britsh No 1 Tim Henman suggesting his ability to deal with pressure was crucial to moving to the next level.

“For me, Jack’s issues on court have not always been physical by are more mental,” Sky Sports Tennis analyst Henman told Tennis365.

“He hasn’t played too many long five-set matches in the Slams and I spoke to him after Australia last year and he said about the stress and anxiety you feel in those long matches.

“The outcome is always important for a professional athlete, but the process of getting there is just as important. If you do the process right, the outcome should go in your favour.

“I think his performances at this year’s Australia Open were so good for him mentally. He obviously missed some of the off-season, but he came through three five-set matches and that was a step forward.

“Twelve months ago, you see him winning a fairly straightforward five-set match and he is vomiting on the court. That, to me, is 99 per-cent mental.

“He puts in so much work on the practice court and I’ve seen him working so hard in training and in the gym.

“So to come through three five-setters when he was not in the best shape of his life was massive for him.

“That will give him so much belief that he can play the long matches.

“When you first play five-set matches and you lose a tough first set, I promise you it feels like a long way to the winning line.

“You are only a set down, but you still have to win three and wow, it feels like a long way off.

“When you have been through the process a few times, you start to understand how to deal with it mentally and that massively helps the body respond better to the challenge.

“For him to get through to the fourth round in those circumstances was brilliant and I feel he is only just scratching the surface in his career.

“He’s not had a full season and has always had setbacks, but the way he is training the team he has around him, that won’t happen as much.”

Draper’s is finding a way to balance his mental and physical challenges on court and the results were there for all to see as he won his first Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells and confirmed his status as a top 10 player who is here to stay.

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Former doubles world No 1 Rennae Stubbs has identified a key problem in Coco Gauff’s game,  that she believes is responsible for many of the American’s losses.

Stubbs, who has coached the likes of Serena Williams and Karolina Pliskova, believes that Gauff’s technique – mainly on her forehand – is frequently a problem and can be exposed, when against elite players.

“Her technique fails under pressure and when you’re playing outside – a lot of her success last year and even at the beginning of this year was played indoors – there’s no wind or variables,” said Stubbs, on her self-titled podcast.

“When you have a technique that is questionable at times, whether it be the second serve and the service motion, and the service grip, all that sort of stuff and the forehand, it affects your game more.”

The world No 3 hit a dismal 21 double faults and 74 unforced errors against Moyuka Uchijima in Indian Wells, before producing six double faults in her final game against Maria Sakkari.

As Stubbs stated, Gauff’s forehand – specifically – has long been a subject of criticism and is the former US Open champion’s weaker side.

“Her technique on her forehand is always going to be a problem for her going forehand,” Stubbs added.

“So it’s a matter of can she get over those humps. Can she get through the tough three-set match, which she didn’t last week?

“She is going to have unbelievable support in Miami. And maybe this is the breakthrough she needs going into the clay, which we know she plays well on.

“It is a work in progress. It is going to be a work in progress with the serve and her forehand for the rest of her career. And when she loses that is why she is going to lose, that’s why we always talk about it.”

The Australian former coach is not the only one to identify the glaring problem, with Sly Large – who coached Gauff between the ages of six and 14 – recently remarking: “What happened somewhere along the line, between 13 and when she went to Mouratoglou, she started developing a little hitch in her forehand.

“My only guess is, I didn’t see her for a couple of years, but I believe they must have taken their eye off of her forehand.

“Nobody was keeping an eye on everything, making sure that what got her to the No. 1 spot kept that going. For four years, we never took our eyes off the forehand. It was always a work in progress.”

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Despite her disappointing 6-4 record in 2025, Gauff believes she can turn her form around and dismissed the recent criticism: “Everyone makes a bigger deal than what it is.

“I’ll lose more matches back to back. It’s going to happen.”

Coco Gauff will face former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in her first-round match at the Miami Open, with their head-to-head tied at 2-2.

Their most recent meeting, at the first Grand Slam of 2025, saw Gauff sail past – 6-3, 6-3.

The post Former world No 1 points out obvious Coco Gauff weakness – ‘Always a problem’ appeared first on Tennis365.

The PTPA’s executive director has claimed that Jannik Sinner was “treated unfairly” by an “illegal” doping program as he defended the use of the world No 1’s case in the organisation’s lawsuit.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that the PTPA was taking legal action against the ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation (ITF), and International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in a wide-ranging lawsuit addressing multiple concerns.

Among the key talking points arising from the 163-page legal document was the use of Sinner’s recent doping case, with the Italian currently serving a three-month suspension.

The world No 1 twice tested positive for the banned steroid clostebol in March 2024, and was not handed a suspension after being found of “no fault or negligence” by the ITIA in August 2024.

A legal case involving the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ensued, and resulted with Sinner and WADA settling on a three-month suspension in February 2025.

The PTPA’s legal filing appeared to heavily condemn the process behind Sinner’s case, and some accused it of indirectly criticising the Italian’s lack of complaint regarding the ATP.

It read: “The ITIA proved in August 2024 that its heavy-handed approach is arbitrary and selective. That month, the ITIA announced that Jannik Sinner, the top-ranked player on the ATP Tour, had twice tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid earlier that season.

“Unlike its dogged pursuit of other players, however, it accepted Sinner’s explanation that his physical therapist had accidentally applied a banned substance to Sinner’s skin during treatment.

“As a result of its immediate acceptance, the ITIA concluded that Sinner bore ‘no fault or negligence’ for his positive test and permitted him to compete in the 2024 U.S. Open, which Sinner won.

“There was no investigation that dragged for over a year into a prominent player who had not vocalized any issues with the cartel.”

However, in an interview with Ubitennis, PTPA executive director Ahmad Nassar claimed that Sinner was also a victim of a “not-fit-for-purpose” system that “must change” to benefit all players.

“I’ve been consistent and clear on Jannik’s case,” said Nassar. “He was treated unfairly by an out-of-control, illegal, and not-fit-for-purpose anti-doping program.

“At the same time, others have pointed out that he seems to have been treated less unfairly than many other players.

“The solution here is not to treat him more unfairly, in line with other players. Nor is the solution even to treat other players as unfairly as Jannik. Our solution is to treat all players fairly.

“If someone is not at fault, as adjudicated by the ITIA and WADA, how is it possible that the case still took nearly a year to be resolved, and still resulted in a three-month suspension that is still being served as we speak?

“The system is not working and must change.”

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Sinner is yet to publicly comment on his case being addressed in the PTPA’s legal document, and is currently set to return to action at the Italian Open in May.

The tournament is set to begin on May 7th, days after his suspension is completed on May 4th.

However, world No 3 Carlos Alcaraz has raised concerns after comments he made around tennis scheduling were referenced as part of the document.

In its reference to scheduling concerns, the document brought attention to a comment Alcaraz made about the ATP calendar trying to “kill us”, made last year.

Alcaraz was unaware his comment would be used and claimed he could not “support” the case.

“Yesterday I saw on social media that there were statements…. Like, they put something that I said in a press conference which I didn’t know.

“Honestly I don’t support that letter… l don’t support that because I didn’t know anything about it. There are some things that I agree with, there are some other things that I don’t agree with.

“The main thing here is that I’m not supporting that.”

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Iga Swiatek has been warned that her relationship with psychologist Daria Abramowicz is “disturbed” and that the “professional distance” between the two has been crossed.

World No 2 Swiatek and 37-year-old Abramowicz began working together in February 2019, when the tennis star was just 17 years old.

Since then, Swiatek has gone on to become arguably the leading player of her generation, winning five Grand Slam singles titles and spending 125 weeks as the world No 1.

The Pole’s partnership with Abramowicz has long been praised as a key factor in the 23-year-old’s success, though their relationship has been under scrutiny in recent days.

Swiatek was widely criticised for appearing to slam a ball towards her team – close to a ball boy – during her Indian Wells semi-final loss to Mirra Andreeva.

The world No 2 has since spoken about the incident in a detailed social media post, though Abramowicz herself has also faced criticism.

The 37-year-old was seen shouting from the stands during the semi-final, and now leading Polish sports psychologist Dariusz Nowicki has claimed “certain boundaries” between Abramowicz and Swiatek had been crossed.

Speaking to Interia Sport, Nowicki was damning in his assessment of the “disturbed” partnership.

“If we were to look at this relationship only and exclusively from the point of view of strictly psychological workshop, then it is indeed a disturbed relationship, in which certain boundaries of professional distance between the psychologist and the client are crossed,” he said.

Asked further about the potential risks, Nowicki warned that Abramowicz could be at risk of “errors of perception” in her judgement due to a lack of distance between her and Swiatek.

Nowicki added: “Unfortunately, most errors in perception occur when emotions are aroused. Regardless of whether these are positive or negative emotions, then we make errors in the accuracy of observation.

“A certain psychological distance in relation to the client, who is the athlete, or in general to the training team, which is with the athlete or team, is essential.

“Someone in this group must maintain some common sense and emotional self-control, and the psychologist should be such a person the most.

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“While coaches allow themselves to have quite big emotions in starting situations, being a co-participant in this event, a psychologist professionally involved in sports psychology should be able to keep their distance and not get involved in emotions.

“Only then will they be able to function effectively within their professional competencies.”

Swiatek is yet to respond to Nowicki’s comments, and is set to get her Miami Open campaign underway on Friday.

Much like in Indian Wells, the Pole will face Caroline Garcia in the second round – with all seeded players having received an opening-round bye.

Swiatek will look to win her second title at the tournament, having previously triumphed at the Miami Open back in 2022.

Read Next: WTA Rankings: How many points are Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Andreeva, Raducanu defending in Miami?

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Emma Raducanu has won her first match at the Miami Open and now she has a chance to achieve one of her big targets for 2025 if she wins her next two matches.

Raducanu put her poor form of recent weeks behind her as she stormed into the second round of the Miami Open with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Sayaka Ishii.

This may not have been a big test for Raducanu against a player could not not handle her power and struggled in every service game as she ended up being broken five times.

Raducanu will take confidence from only her fourth win in her tenth match of what has been a stop-start season, with her rankings slide averted for now.

The 2021 US Open champion slipped down to No 60 in the WTA Rankings after her first round exit against Moyuka Uchijima in Indian Wells earlier this month.

Her performance in that match against Uchijima was laced with errors, as she struggled to deal with windy conditions, but this was a much more comfortable environment for Raducanu to get a morale-boosting win on her record.

“I’m very pleased to have got through that, it’s not easy to play someone in the first round who’s younger, dangerous and in good form,” Raducanu told Sky Sports.

“I’m really proud of how I competed today, it hasn’t been easy for me coming into this but I think I put out a really good performance.”

After failing to play at the Miami Open last year due to injury, this win against Ishii ensured Raducanu made a leap up the rankings and she is now closing in on a return to the top 50.

Raducuanu climbed into the top 10 of the WTA Rankings in 2022, but sustaining that level of success has proved to be tough for the 22-year-old due to dips in form and a succession of injuries.

Now she appears to be injury-free and that will give her confidence of putting up a strong showing against No 8 seed Emma Navarro in the next round.

“She’s got to be happy with that,” declared former British No 1 Annabel Croft, as she assessed Raducanu’s first win at the Miami Open.

“When you consider how few matches she has won on the WTA Tour in 2025, it’s all about getting some building blocks in place and building some confidence.

“She needs to go and start playing withs some freedom and she wasn’t given much of a test today.

“It’s difficult to really judge where he level was at. She got a lot of balls in play, I loved the way she was throwing in the sliced backhands and she served really well against someone who was really inexperienced at this level.

“Any win always feels good and we know the next match will be a real test. She is up against Navarro and there will be no pressure on her against a top 10 player.”

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With limited ranking points to defend from the 2024 clay court season, Raducanu has a big chance to rise up the WTA Rankings over the next couple of months.

A bulk of the points current on her WTA Ranking came from her good runs in front of her home British fans on the grass in June and July last year.

So she will want to have built up plenty of points in Miami and on clay courts before the grass court season rolls around.

READ NEXT: Miami Open WTA Predictions: Gauff & Swiatek respond, Raducanu struggles, Andreeva & Sabalenka look ahead

The post Emma Raducanu close to rankings breakthrough after milestone Miami Open win appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu produced one of her most confident performances of 2025 as she started her Miami Open campaign with a much-needed win on Thursday.

World No 60 Raducanu was a significant favourite on paper against world No 188 Sayaka Ishii, who had received a wildcard into the main draw.

And the Brit matched expectations in an impressive display, losing serve just once across a confident 6-2, 6-1 victory inside the Hard Rock Stadium.

It is just a fourth win of 2025 for the 22-year-old, who was beaten in the opening round of Indian Wells two weeks ago, and marks her first victory since her stalking ordeal at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

It is also Raducanu’s first-ever main draw match win in Miami, having lost her opening match in both 2022 and 2023.

“I’m very pleased to have got through that,” said Raducanu in her on-court interview.

“It’s not an easy first round, playing someone a bit younger and dangerous, and in good form, so I’m really proud of how I competed today.

“It hasn’t been easy for me coming into this but I think I put out a really good performance.

“I haven’t won a match here yet actually in my professional career [until now] but I have great memories from playing junior Orange Bowl – I did pretty well two times.

“It’s a little bit different now and I’m just happy to have scored a win in the professional tournament too.”

Due to players provisionally falling in the WTA Live Rankings, Raducanu was already projected to move up two spots to world No 58 in the rankings.

However, victory over Ishii has provisionally moved her back to world No 55 as things stand, level on points with projected world No 56 Polina Kudermetova.

A second-round win could potentially move her back to world No 53 and in touching distance of a return to the world’s top 50.

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But that is by no means a given for the former world No 10, who now faces eighth seed – and current No 10 – Emma Navarro in the next round.

It will be Navarro’s first match of the tournament, with all seeds receiving an opening-round bye at the WTA 1000 event, and it will be the first career meeting between the two.

Raducanu added: “It’s going to be an extremely challenging match.

“I think it’s a match where she’s probably in better form, so I think I can just go out and try and express myself, compete for every point.

“She’s a great person. I think on the tour, it’s one of those people you would probably warm to, and say hi – it’s going to be a double Emma!”

Read Next: WTA Rankings: How many points are Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Andreeva, Raducanu defending in Miami?

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