Iga Swiatek
Beneath the Surface

Matt Cronin

Iga Swiatek seems to be having a smooth, successful season, recently lifting her third French Open trophy, but there's been a lot happening beneath the surface.

It's been more than 16 months since the 22-year-old from Poland started dominating the WTA Tour, when then No. 1 Ash Barty announced her surprise retirement. That was the start of Swiatek's ascent, winning Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, and Roland Garros during a 37-match win streak, and then also taking the US Open. She was on fire, running and attacking all the time, confident she could go for it and win.

Rybakina

But this season started with some challenges. Though the heavy favorite in Melbourne, Swiatek went down 6-4, 6-4 in the round of 16 against eventual finalist Elena Rybakina, who had won her first Grand Slam title in 2022 by capturing Wimbledon. Though Swiatek did turn around and win Doha and reach the final of Dubai, she then fell to Rybakina again at Indian Wells, by the even more lopsided score of 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals.

Though she was still ranked No. 1, the defeats revealed the extra mental and physical pressure of her new position.

Following her Australian Open exit, Swiatek admitted being the favorite hadn't been easy for her. "I felt like I took a step back in terms of how I approach these tournaments, and I maybe wanted it a little bit too hard. So I'm going to try to chill out a little bit more," Swiatek said.

"For sure, the past two weeks have been pretty hard for me. I felt the pressure, and I felt that I don't want to lose instead of I want to win. I'm always going to have this part of me that is a perfectionist. When I'm not feeling comfortable on court, it's kind of hard to not be harsh."

And it was hard not be harsh about her defeat at Indian Wells. Rybakina was playing great, blasting her crosscourt forehand for winners again and again, but Swiatek let down mentally and her groundstrokes weren't deep enough.

But there, according to her, the problem was physical. "Honestly, I feel like it's still more me and kind of my mistakes. I'm also like not feeling 100 percent physically," Swiatek said. "I have a little like discomfort in my rib, and we're going to consult with medical team."

That's also something she has had to get used to, playing top-level opposition during a full season despite aches and pains.

"Honestly, I haven't played with a lot of injuries," she added. "Now it's a totally different level. So I feel like going on that matches you have to be 100 percent fit."

Once recovered and back on her favored clay, Swiatek again took off -- a Stuttgart title, finals of Madrid -- until a leg injury led to her withdrawing before her Rome quarterfinal with Rybakina. That seemed to have been a good decision as she sailed into another Roland Garros final, defeating surprise finalist Karolina Muchova in a tense three-setter.

Easier

This time, being the favorite was easier.

"Every year, I face different challenges, so I kind of just thought about these challenges and tough moments I had and also how I overcame them. All the moments where I felt really, satisfied with my tennis," Swiatek said.

But Swiatek's career has been about small, consistent steps, even though her rise has seemed rapid.

Perhaps the biggest reason why she became No. 1 was because she improved her serving, both first and second balls. She can hit it flat, or spin it both sides, or throw it deep into her opponent's chest so it can't be blasted back. Especially on her second serve, she was slightly awkward but now can adjust and re-set so she's not having to be on the defensive.

Swiatek has always been super consistent with her backhand but her forehand is her big weapon, even if she comes up with some errors once in a while. On this wing, the right-hander can loop it or hit it flat for frequent winners.

She can also switch her tactics and drive more into the corners. That leaves opponents guessing even more during rallies. She has very good footwork to back up her big weapon.

When returning, Swiatek's tactic is to sometimes guess against big-serving players, and against an easier ball, to go very deep, either crosscourt or down the line, and try to get a winner.

When she won the 2022 U.S. Open, her drop shot was almost stunning, and she has improved at the net, where she now has more confidence.

These are all changes she's worked on with her team -- her coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, psychologist Daria Abramovicz, along with trainer Maciej Ryszczuk.

Brought on during the 2021 offseason, Wiktorowski urged her to play a more aggressive, attacking game, and vary the placement of her shots. There were also some technical changes, which he found easier than usual.

"I didn't expect her to be able to implement these little things so soon, like correcting her forehand return position," he said.

A change in mentality was also important, with Abramovicz starting in 2022 getting the then No.9 to go into tournaments aiming to win them. On top of that, some serious gym work to keep her going for the whole season.

It paid off, and Swiatek's focus is now more "to just be consistent with my best game" and less on big changes.

From 49 to 1

More than two years ago, she was ranked No. 49 and won Roland Garros. It took her a while to adjust to being a Grand Slam champion, and now she is adjusting to being No. 1 on the WTA Tour. Next, Swiatek's challenge is to transfer her success to grass, where she is still finding her feet and her game.