Always good to see Iga smiling in the post presser despite the emotional heartbreak
It's heartbreak again for Team Poland. Every year they give it their all and keep falling short. It's a little depressing at this point.
All in all I don't think this was Iga's best match of the week. Serve was lacking and there were quite a few unforced errors( brought on by Coco's athleticism and having to retrieve a lot of extra balls).
But it's not like Iga didn't have her chances to turn it around (had breaks in both sets). It just wasn't her day.
Perhaps winning with Rybakina the other day took a mental toll, not to mention the physical toll of the last few days has been pretty intense too.
All that combined caused Iga to regress into the panic mode habit of overhitting the ball (which she really wasn't doing all tournament).
Maybe the frustration of expecting Coco to play a certain way and not getting that was a bit of a catalyst to Iga not being able to find solutions as well.
Iga will have to look at this rivalry from a different angle now (Coco has definitely matured and changed and improved her game (it's giving her all the belief and confidence) so Iga will have to adjust her tactics accordingly.
That's where working with new coach Wim Fissette will come into play.
The win over Rybakina was without a doubt the most valuable out of this whole tournament. It give her the belief that she can win with big hitters on a fast hard court.
Hopefully she'll be able to call on that bielief at Aussie Open in a weeks time.
Having said all that I do have to wonder whether participating in this event is truly worth it in the grand scheme of things.
Iga gets so emotionally invested and puts so much pressure on herself trying to win for her country.
It's energy that maybe could be put to better use at an individual tournament like Brisbane or Adelaide.
Sabalenka won Brisbane without having to face any tough opponents. I guess the question becomes is it better preparation to face a few tough opponents and not win vs having an easier draw and actually winning a title before a Grand Slam. I suppose that remains to be seen.
I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm a little concerned about Iga physically. Having pain in both legs before a Grand Slam is not great.
Hopefully it's all related to exertion over the past week and nothing more serious (as Iga herself mentioned in the post match interviews).
Still I'll feel a whole lot better once Maciek Ryszczuk her physio arrives in Australia (he just always knows how to keep Iga in top condition and pain free).
Regarding the opponents I have to add that unlike their 2021 meeting at the United Cup, this year I found the entire team USA interaction with Poland very disingenuous to put it politely.
I think Danielle Collins sort of set that tone when she rolled her eyes as she barely shook Iga's hand as the teams were wishing each other good luck. The woman is truly insufferable.
And if I'm honest even Coco at the end seemed to be shaking team Poland's hand out of politeness more than anything else (didn't stop for more than a second to shake the hand of each team member). It just looked so obligatory and fake.
I'm not trying to disrespect or take away from her win in anyway she absolutely deserves it. Was the better athlete and player on the day no denying that.
Just wasn't a fan of the American Team vibes I guess.
I think maybe Iga felt those vibes too which is why she didn't give Coco a warm handshake at the end of their match either. I suppose emotions were running high on both sides.
Now that Coco has won back to back matches with Iga the American ESPN pundits are going to be insufferable as well. It's going to be a lot of Coco is the best, she's the contender for the Australian Open, she's one of the best athlete right now and so on.
I get really tired of this narrative (makes me grateful to have other broadcast options).
I realize this next statement will sound completely biased, but I honestly prefer the European media's understated praising of their athletes. Sure we tend to criticize them more, but we also don't go overboard with boasting.
Still immensely proud of Team Poland despite the loss. Hopefully Iga can get a bit of R&R now to rest and rehab those legs before getting back into the grind in a week's time.
Bring on the Aussie Open!
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