Iga Swiatek’s mentality and mindset have been compared to that of Serena Williams, one week on from her Wimbledon triumph.
Last weekend saw the Pole claim her first title at the All England Club and her sixth Grand Slam title overall, handing a historic double bagel to beaten finalist Amanda Anisimova.
Swiatek dropped just one set on her way to the final, against Caty McNally back in round two, and completed the ‘Surface Slam’ with her victory, with major titles won on hard, clay, and grass courts.
Victory at SW19 cemented an astonishing turnaround in form for the 24-year-old, who had not lifted a title since winning her fourth French Open in June 2024.
The ensuing 13 months saw Swiatek deal with a shock loss at the Olympic Games, a split from long-time coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, losing her world No 1 ranking, and a one-month doping suspension, among other factors.
Grass had widely been considered the Pole’s weaker surface heading into 2025, which made it all the more of a surprise when she ended her 13-month wait for a final at the Bad Homburg Open last month.
Though she was beaten by Jessica Pegula in the pre-Wimbledon warm-up event, Swiatek’s rediscovered confidence on the surface ultimately powered her through her SW19 campaign.
Tennis News
Tim Henman makes telling Emma Raducanu claim as she prepares to return to action
Alex Eala reveals most ‘difficult’ part of stunning rise as she reflects on trailblazer status
Taking to Twitter/X, Rick Macci, a former coach of the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova, credited Swiatek’s “mindset” as a key factor in her success.
He wrote: “Iga had the mindset to be more aggressive and dictate on grass. Easier said than Done but the Polisher Punisher stepped up stepped in and the competition was Done.”
And, in a further post, the American then compared Swiatek to 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Williams, whom he coached as a junior.
Macci added: “Iga is one of the best we have seen mentally since Serena. At Wimbledon once she got a hold of you she was like a Polish Pitbull and would not let go.”
Swiatek’s sixth Grand Slam title means that only 10 women in the Open Era have won more majors than her, including Williams, whose 23 titles remain the Open Era record for a female player.
Williams also remains one of just three women this century to have won more Grand Slam singles titles than Swiatek, with Venus Williams and Justine Henin both winning seven Grand Slam titles.
Swiatek is currently set to return to action at the Canadian Open, which gets underway on July 27th.
The Pole has never won the WTA 1000 event, with a best semi-final showing back in 2023, and is also a two-time beaten semi-finalist at the Cincinnati Open, which takes place after action in Montreal.
However, the world No 3 will likely be full of confidence ahead of the final Grand Slam of the year at the US Open, which gets underway on August 24th.
She will be searching for her second title at Flushing Meadows, having previously triumphed back in 2022.
Read Next: Iga Swiatek reveals why Wimbledon win is ‘hard to describe’ as she reflects on SW19 success
The post Iga Swiatek compared to Serena Williams in one key area by US icon’s ex-coach appeared first on Tennis365.
Leave a Reply