“A F***ing Moron” – Andy Roddick Blasts the Unrelenting Toxic Force ‘Crushing’ Iga Swiatek’s Confidence

The former world number one, Iga Swiatek, is not having a good time at the moment. She’s yet to win a title since clinching the French Open in June last year. With the arrival of the clay court season, fans thought the ‘Queen of Clay’ would get back to her old form, but she failed to deliver in Stuttgart, Madrid, and even in Rome. Following her failure to defend titles at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, Swiatek will now drop to number 4 in the rankings, and guess what? That’s her lowest position since 2022! There has been a lot of buzz in the media, especially the Polish media, surrounding her downfall. Previously, there were rumors about her skipping Wimbledon this year, which Swiatek later debunked, saying, “a lot of stuff about me that are not true.” There have been a few incidents recently that indicated a direct intrusion into her personal life. Seeing all these bizarre media interferences, American legend Andy Roddick took aim at the Polish journalists. What did he say?

Talking about a bizarre experience with paparazzi and the media during the Miami Open, Iga Swiatek recently claimed, “I can accept it when it’s at work and I’m going to a practice and everything, but for example, when it’s close to my home and I’m having just to walk with a friend or with a family member, I’d rather them not do that because that’s my time off. I had an incident actually, after Miami, when I was home, and paparazzi followed me almost to my apartment. I stopped them and said, Ok, tomorrow I’m going to practice. You can take photos of me when I go there, but this is off-limits.” Reacting to these incidents, a couple of days ago during his podcast ‘Served’, Andy Roddick literally destroyed the Polish media over their “moronic” treatment of their country’s biggest star.

He said, “She complains about the Polish media. I’m sorry, if you are a sports journalist in Poland and you are crushing Iga on a week to week basis you are a f—ing moron. You are. I’m sorry. She is the greatest sportsperson you have ever had. Counter that to the Italian press giving Jannik a standing ovation when he walks into the press room, which is also ridiculous this week in Rome. If you are a Polish journalist and you are making Iga’s life really difficult and not throwing a parade every time she talks to you, you are a moron. It’s amazing.”

Is it the first time we are seeing Roddick showing his support for the Pole? Well, even when the news came out about Iga Swiatek’s doping incident last year, Andy Roddick was among the first ones to claim that it’s pretty much “unfortunate” for Swiatek and also mentioned, “I can’t call it doping.” He faced a lot of criticism at that time for showing his support for Swiatek, but that didn’t force him to change his mind. In January 2025, when she lost to Madison Keys in the SF of the 2025 AO, Roddick yet again praised her for her performance, especially in the aftermath of her failed doping test. 

Not only that, he even compared her intensity to Rafael Nadal and predicted that Iga Swiatek is going to win a “handful of Grand Slams” on surfaces that aren’t clay. Seeing Aryna Sabalenka’s incredible consistency this season, it seems as if the pressure has crept on much further on the Pole to deliver. What does Roddick have to say on this? Just a few days ago, the American legend spoke on this topic by highlighting how Sabalenka (27) also took some time to find her rhythm on the tour despite showing early flashes of brilliance.

Roddick said, “The fact that Iga had it figured out at 19 and Sabalenka is in her prime at 27, you know, Iga has four or four and a half years (gap)… It is it but like she will have gone through another lifetime of tennis before she’s Sabalenka’s age, right, so it’s weird she had that focus early…” So far, Sabalenka has won three Grand Slam titles in her career, and interestingly, all three of them have been on hard courts.

Last year, Iga Swiatek (23) defeated Italy’s Jasmine Paolini by 6-2,6-1 to clinch her fifth Grand Slam title. What are her chances of defending the title this year?

Iga Swiatek’s early exit from the Italian Open raises doubts for her title defense at the 2025 French Open

Iga Swiatek was defeated by America’s Danielle Collins in the R32 of the 2025 Italian Open by 1-6,5-7. Following this disappointing exit from Rome, Swiatek said she “wasn’t present to fight and compete.” In fact, she also realized that she has been “doing something wrong” and, according to her, at the moment, it’d be pretty much “stupid to expect a lot” for the upcoming French Open. However, the disappointment couldn’t deter her from putting her best efforts into the upcoming major event.

She started training at Roland Garros ten days before the start of this mega clay court tournament. Iga Swiatek needs just three more French Open titles to equal Chris Evert’s record for the most women’s singles titles at this event. Can she get closer to Evert by winning a title this season? Well, mixed opinions have been coming on this from the tennis world, recently.

Well, although her peer, Coco Gauff, claims, “You also have to respect that she’s a four-time champion at Roland Garros. I always think if someone wins a tournament that many times, regardless of what shape they’re in, they can definitely figure out a way to win again. If I were to play her at the French Open, I would throw away the results in Madrid, not even think about it, expect her to play her best tennis.” Other tennis experts like John Isner and Chris Evert have raised a few concerns about the Pole.

Isner said, “Iga is down to number four, has not won a title in 12 months. She’s not playing her best tennis, but she loves playing at Roland Garros. She could certainly turn things around there if she just can get comfortable with her first few matches in Paris. But definitely a little cause for concern in the Iga Swiatek camp.” Instead, he kept Sabalenka and Gauff slightly ahead this time. On the other side, Evert also raised a few doubts about Swiatek’s chances at the 2025 French Open by saying, “I just don’t know if she can find her A game.” 

What are your own thoughts on this, though? Do you think the four-time French Open champion can make a strong comeback in Paris this year? Share your thoughts in the comment box.

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