McEnroe criticizes Swiatek and supports Roig: "It’s inexplicable"

John McEnroe is known for leaving nothing unsaid. The former world number one, tennis legend, and current television commentator always makes controversial statements during his appearances. For example, he urged at the end of the US Open "Please let Alcaraz and Sinner be healthy", while he also made a diagnosis of American tennis. But his latest target has been Iga Swiatek.

The Polish player entered the US Open as one of the fittest players on the WTA tour after her performance at the WTA 1000 in Canada, where she lifted the title, and in Cincinnati, where she reached the semifinals. Moreover, in her first week in New York, she faced no rivals and reached the round of 16 without dropping a single set. However, everything changed in her match against Qinwen Zheng.

No one expected it when she was leading 5-0 in the first set. However, the Chinese player, who came back from 5-0 down in the third set against Madison Keys in the previous round, did it again against the Polish player, who began to lose ground until she lost the first set and practically disappeared in the second. It was a tough loss (7-5, 6-3) that made Swiatek leave the US Open in tears and without winning a Grand Slam in 2026.

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McEnroe laments Swiatek's tough loss at the US Open and finds no explanation

For McEnroe, this comeback “is inexplicable,” he stated on Eurosport. “What is surprising is that Iga lost a 5-0 lead. You can't lose from that point. So I don't know what happened. It was shocking. I'm not sure she knows. Maybe you get a little careless. Zheng played freely because she had nothing to lose and kept closing in.”

But the American was adamant: “There’s no way she should have lost that first set. I think losing that set leaves you in disbelief. Whoever you are, if you lose a set like that, it's hard to recover. I suppose that's what you love and hate about the sport. You never know for sure, but in the key moments, if you lose faith and confidence, whoever you are, your level will drop. And it seems that, in the end, at least in this mess, that’s what happened.”

The four-time US Open champion also wanted to praise Zheng: “I give her a lot of credit. She has gone through many difficulties, but she is a former world number 4, so she is not just anyone. She is a great player.” He then reaffirmed the role of her coach, Francis Roig: “He is a respected coach and I think he wants her to play like she did when she won all the Roland Garros titles.”

Game 6 Michael Jordan.

Tiger Woods on Sundays.

Zheng Qinwen down 0-5. pic.twitter.com/FfjWuxNSyW

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2026

McEnroe believes that Swiatek should continue to trust Roig and think about a solid medium- to long-term project: “Constantly changing coaches is not the best for anyone. So, in my opinion, she needs to be given time and ensure this is something she really wants.”

The commentator continued to reflect on the topic: “I don’t even know what she’s thinking right now, but training was not the problem in this particular case. In fact, I think they were on the right track.” He lamented Iga Swiatek's missed opportunity: “She was playing more as expected from her in Canada and Cincinnati. I thought it would be hard to beat her at the US Open and I still think she will win major tournaments, but right now there are more questions than answers after the way she lost after being ahead 5-0,” concluded John McEnroe, who cannot explain Swiatek's blackout at the US Open.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, McEnroe atiza a Swiatek y apoya a Roig: "Es inexplicable"