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 normal, it’s stunning.
This can be a participant that rode a 23-match successful streak on the floor into the Olympic semifinals in Paris final 12 months. We have been turning into so accustomed to her dominance on the floor that it was getting arduous to think about her ever dropping on it once more.
However issues change shortly in tennis, and now – simply 10 months later – Swiatek is struggling to search 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 snug 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 focus on her relative frailty.
Would clay be the elixir, the panacea for Swiatek’s struggles? To this point it has not been.
Ostapenko received 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 surprise what’s inflicting essentially the most dependable clay-courter within the girls’s sport to drop her stage?
It appears like Swiatek has pinpointed one thing. She’s having bother in her head, and it’s resulting in poor choices.
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 12 months I really feel like I’m struggling a bit extra with my perfectionism,” Swiatek stated on media day in Rome. “I need to for positive concentrate on being disciplined on the courtroom and making proper selections, not the alternatives that generally come out in my head, however being actually strong. I feel I can try this. That is my predominant focus now.”
Maybe it truly is that straightforward. Simply settle for the wrestle, play the straightforward, grinding sport, 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 sport like a heat glove within the lifeless of winter. The slower situations will give her a fraction extra time to determine her patterns, and concentrate on “being actually strong.”
And, in case you take away the loss to Gauff, and quite a lot of shaky moments within the quarterfinal win over Madison Keys in Madrid, you would say that Swiatek just isn’t 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 identical 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 stated. “I had bother focusing. I wasn’t transferring effectively. I feel every thing form of constructed up at one second. That is why the rating was like that.
“For positive I am pleased with the consistency. That is one thing that I all the time need. There is no match the place I’m going in and I am not ready. However for positive I need to additionally win some tournaments. That is additionally the aim.”
Although some would possibly surprise 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 in the future,” she stated of her loss to Gauff in Madrid. “You may’t decide every 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.”
