Iga Swiatek may be the 'Queen of Clay', but she has not been able to maintain her form on dirt and replicate it on grass and Wimbledon. What should she do?
Swiatek further cemented her reputation on clay by winning her third consecutive French Open title. 6-2 6-1 win over Jasmine Paolini She won her fifth Grand Slam title on Saturday.
The 'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal may have played in his last French Open of the year, but Swiatek has once again comprehensively proven that he is also Roland Garros royalty.
She became the first woman to win three consecutive Roland Garros titles since Justine Henin in 2007, and only the third player in Open history, along with Monica Seles, to win Roland Garros titles. It is done.
But despite winning the Wimbledon women's singles title in 2018, Paul is yet to advance past the quarterfinals of the All England Club. So why is she having such trouble?
Looking ahead to the grass court season and next month's Wimbledon, Swiatek said she wanted to adapt quickly to the change in surface a year after reaching her first quarter-final in west London.
“Last year I felt like I could adapt quicker,” she said. “We’ll see what the plans are for this year, because last year I was able to compete in this competition for the first time.”
“I plan to play a few matches before Wimbledon gets better, but on the other hand I also need to keep fit because I’ve played basically every match in Stuttgart, Madrid, Rome and here.”
“So we’ll see what the plan is, but I think the biggest step I can make on the grass right now is to use a better serve, but I’m also not expecting much.
“The ball is different. Tennis on grass is different overall. I will watch and work hard to play better.”
“Last year’s results were pretty good. I think it gets easier to adapt to the grass every year.
“It's a huge challenge. If I had lost here earlier, I probably could have played on grass for two more weeks and become a better grass player. But if I had the choice, I wouldn't go because I love playing on clay. I'll give that up for now. .”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Colin Fleming and Anne Keothavong give a masterclass on how to execute the forehand.
Former England No.1 Laura Robson feels Swiatek's natural spin on the forehand does not seem to have the same 'pop' on grass.
speaking sky sports“On grass courts, you don’t have the downward bounce like you do on clay or hard courts,” she said.
“In some ways, because her backhand has really, really improved, she might have to play a little flatter, especially on her forehand, and she can flatten shots and cut on that side.
“I think the same goes for her second serve… because it's typically a kick serve, but it's a little more settled than other players, and I think she probably knows that.
“And I think it's going to be really difficult for her to mentally reset for the grass court season because she's coming off a Grand Slam win on clay. As you know, the season hasn't been the best and she's just won a Slam and everything else.
“There are a few areas of her game that may need tweaking to be much better on grass, but on grass it’s the little things that make a huge difference.
“The feeling I get from her is that she wants to improve by 1 percent every game, let alone over a season on the grass.”
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Feliciano Lopez, Colin Fleming and Anne Keothavong discuss the Madrid Open final between Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka.
Analyst Annabel Croft acknowledged that turf presents problems for Swiatek, although she sees echoes of the attitude of 22-time major winner Steffi Graf.
“Her balls don’t do much damage to the grass,” Croft said. “She thinks it's very tricky and she says that with the forehand grip, the forehand is quite round and it's very difficult for players to get a rolling forehand if they keep the ball low and slice on a grass court.
“She likes to put the ball between her hips and shoulder height.
“When she walks on the court, not just the speed at which she hits the ball, but her march between points and the kind of body language she puts out, she's putting everything out there for you.
“Everything is targeted and she is sending signals that ‘I am in control, I am setting the tone, I am setting the pace of this game.’ It is very difficult for any player to keep up with her.
“She reminds me a little of Steffi Graf when she was taller. People used to say that the way she marches from point to point and sets the tone is like walking around the court with a briefcase, hitting forehand winners and Batting winner left, right and center and there's a lot to the way she brings that intensity to the court.
“This is what Swiatek brings to the playing court.”
Swiatek will begin preparations for the Berlin Open on June 17. sky sports tennis.
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights from Swiatek's win over Sabalenka in the Rome final
What's happening on Sky Sports Tennis?
Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Discover all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA tours.
You can see all the biggest tennis stars in action ahead of the third Grand Slam, Wimbledon, in 2024. Sky Sports live broadcast They compete throughout the grass court season.
- Stuttgart Open (Andy Murray's ATP 250) – June 10-16
- Rosmalen Open (ATP/WTA 250) – June 10-16
- Berlin Open (WTA 500) – June 17-23
Advertising content | Stream Sky Sports now
Watch the WTA and ATP tours throughout 2024 on Sky Sports Tennis. Stream Sky Sports Tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month membership. There is no contract, so you can cancel at any time.
