By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday Might 6, 2025
It’s nearly unusual to say it: Iga Swiatek has gone three clay-court tournaments with out successful a title. No, the sky isn’t falling – removed from it – however by the Polish juggernaut’s lofty customary, it’s shocking.
It is a participant that rode a 23-match successful streak on the floor into the Olympic semifinals in Paris final yr. We had been changing into so accustomed to her dominance on the floor that it was getting arduous to think about her ever shedding on it once more.
However issues change rapidly in tennis, and now – simply 10 months later – Swiatek is struggling to seek out her self-belief and luxury forward of her title protection in Rome.
Failed title defenses in Doha and Indian Wells raised just a few flags. Swiatek didn’t appear to be comfy in her personal pores and skin and losses to her private kryptonite Jelena Ostapenko (in Doha) and rising teen Mirra Andreeva (at Indian Wells) appears to spotlight her relative frailty.
Would clay be the elixir, the panacea for Swiatek’s struggles? To this point it has not been.
Ostapenko obtained her once more in Stuttgart, after which she suffered an unthinkably lopsided loss to Coco Gauff within the semis in Madrid, 6-1, 6-1. One other title protection down the drain, and extra cause to marvel what’s inflicting essentially the most dependable clay-courter within the girls’s recreation to drop her stage?
It appears like Swiatek has pinpointed one thing. She’s having hassle in her head, and it’s resulting in poor selections.
Come for the social content material, keep for the candy shock!Iga Swiatek receives Tiramisu throughout Media Day in Rome. pic.twitter.com/u5i1cmD8IP
— Jimmie48 Pictures (@JJlovesTennis) Might 6, 2025
“This yr I really feel like I’m struggling a bit extra with my perfectionism,” Swiatek mentioned on media day in Rome. “I wish to for positive give attention to being disciplined on the courtroom and making proper selections, not the alternatives that typically come out in my head, however being actually strong. I feel I can do this. That is my primary focus now.”
Maybe it truly is that easy. Simply settle for the battle, play the easy, grinding recreation, and focus actually arduous on the patterns which have all the time labored.
Swiatek absolutely has it in her to make a sudden turnaround in Rome, and Paris, the place the floor is slower and fits her recreation like a heat glove within the useless of winter. The slower circumstances will give her a fraction extra time to determine her patterns, and give attention to “being actually strong.”
And, when you take away the loss to Gauff, and quite a lot of shaky moments within the quarterfinal win over Madison Keys in Madrid, you can say that Swiatek will not be removed from her finest. There haven’t been any first-round losses, and in Stuttgart she was near lastly getting a win over Ostapenko.
The 23-year-old World No.2 takes solace in her consistency, whereas on the similar time sounding a bit impatient with herself.
Three time champ’s again in her lounge!Iga Swiatek practices in Campo Centrale on Monday. pic.twitter.com/qe3uq7KIEr
— Jimmie48 Pictures (@JJlovesTennis) Might 5, 2025
“The match with Coco for positive wasn’t good,” she mentioned. “I had hassle focusing. I wasn’t shifting nicely. I feel every little thing sort of constructed up at one second. That is why the rating was like that.
“For positive I am proud of the consistency. That is one thing that I all the time need. There is not any event the place I am going in and I am not ready. However for positive I wish to additionally win some tournaments. That is additionally the objective.”
Although some would possibly marvel about Swiatek’s relationship with coach Wim Fissette, the Pole had nothing however good issues to say about him in her press convention in Rome. She appears like a participant who believes she’s on observe to finish her title drought, and shortly.
“It is identical to sooner or later,” she mentioned of her loss to Gauff in Madrid. “You may’t decide every little thing by it. I am persevering with the work that I have been doing. I belief the method. We’ll see on the following one.”
