In the three years since Iga Swiatek announced herself to the world by winning the French Open as a 19-year-old, her name has become a byword for consistency.
While the Pole’s game has acquired a more aggressive edge since that landmark victory, stability has been the principal hallmark of her career to date, most notably in the form of a 75-week stay at world No 1 and, last season, a 37-match winning streak, the longest unbeaten run this century. Continuity – the calm at the eye of the hurricane, as Daria Abramowicz, Swiatek’s psychologist, likes to put it – has been key throughout.
Of late, though, changes have come thick and fast for the four-time grand slam champion. Swiatek’s loss to Veronika Kudermetova in Tokyo last week, her first in five matches against the Russian, followed a summer in which she also suffered a first defeat in eight meetings with Coco Gauff and a first tour-level reverse against Jessica Pegula in four years. At the US Open, meanwhile, Swiatek’s reign as champion was ended by Jelena Ostapenko, enabling Aryna Sabalenka to overtake her at the top of the rankings. It has been a period of rare upheaval.
In the face of adversity, the natural inclination would perhaps have been to prioritise ranking points in an effort to make up ground on Sabalenka and secure the year-end No 1 ranking. Instead, Swiatek has embraced her altered circumstances, gratefully casting aside the baggage that goes with top spot to focus on adding new dimensions to her game.
The fruits of her labours on the practice court were evident as Swiatek saw off Sara Sorribes Tormo in the opening round of the China Open. After making 50 unforced errors against Kudermetova in Tokyo, Sorribes Tormo provided an ideal challenge for the Pole, forcing her to balance consistency with aggression in the face of the steady Spaniard’s dogged retrieving and counter-punching. Swiatek’s cause was aided by a greater willingness to approach the net and a visible improvement in her execution once there.
“I felt really confident and comfortable, because I’ve been practising that a lot,” said Swiatek, who won all but four of her 17 net points in the opening set and 17 of 27 overall.
“I’m pretty proud of my performance at the net, because technically I feel like my volley has changed. I’m really happy with that. I think against some players it’s kind of necessary to go to the net, and today was that kind of a match. I’m happy it was my decision.
“It was different to some matches I’ve played, when I couldn’t force myself to go forward. I’m happy that the work I’m doing in terms of my volleys [is] paying off and I can see the progress.”
The most visible change has been on the forehand volley. To the naked eye, Swiatek appears to be getting greater shoulder turn and stepping through the stroke more aggressively. Whatever the precise nature of the technical changes, though, the shot is noticeably more compact and, against Sorribes Tormo, it was the source of several impressive winners. One such moment came in the third game, where Swiatek underlined her commitment to attack by twice charging in behind heavy forehands; lobbed the first time, she made no mistake on the second, slotting a crisp forehand volley into the open court.
“I think just working on it is going to give me a lot of change,” said Swiatek. “We are working on it. It’s important to [Tomasz Wiktorowski, her coach] to make me a more complete player in terms of that.
“It’s both the decision-making and playing the volley right technically. For now I wouldn’t say it’s an issue, because I felt pretty confident [against Sorribes Tormo]. I know sometimes stress can kind of mess up the technique. I can see I’m doing progress because of matches like today.”
As Swiatek would be the first to admit, there is always room for improvement. The backhand volley, which she has a tendency to guide rather than punch, remains a work in progress for the moment. But there too there are signs of progress – notably, Swiatek is making less use of her left hand, which has often remained somewhat awkwardly on the throat or head of the racket in the past – and there could be no denying the effectiveness of the one-handed backhand volley she stabbed away for a winner as she served to consolidate a break early in the second set against Sorribes Tormo.
As Swiatek seeks to expand her repertoire, she is well aware that technical refinements will need to be allied with a clear sense of how best to deploy her skills. What works against one opponent may not work against another, and the Pole’s net-rushing tactics were notably absent in the next round as she saw off Varvara Gracheva to move into the last 16 in Beijing. Against Sorribes Tormo, the priority was to avoid being drawn into the prolonged baseline exchanges on which the Spaniard thrives; against the more aggressive Gracheva, a Moscow-born Frenchwoman ranked 47 in the world, steadiness was the order of the day. The readiness with which Swiatek adapted to those contrasting challenges over the course of two consecutive days bodes well for the next phase in the evolution of her game.
“I feel like I played a more solid game than in Tokyo, for example,” said Swiatek following a 6-4, 6-1 win over Gracheva that sets up a first meeting with Polish compatriot Magda Linette. “I’m making less mistakes, so there are longer rallies. But I’m happy to play them. I’m kind of taking confidence from that.”
Swiatek can take confidence too from her growing tactical options. Her outstanding speed and athleticism, and the quality of her transition game, are well-suited to a bolder approach, while her determination to add new layers to an already substantial game is reminiscent of her childhood idol Rafael Nadal. In that regard, one is reminded of a comment made by Toni Nadal, Rafa’s uncle and former coach, on the eve of the 2008 Wimbledon final.
“Many people say, ‘Rafael, his grass game has problems,’” said Uncle Toni. “They don’t remember he is only 22 years old. It is normal to improve still at this age. Give him time.”
Fifteen years on, those words feel no less applicable to Swiatek, who is also 22 and has the same number of majors as Nadal had then. The No 1 ranking may be gone for now, but there is a palpable sense that the Pole’s journey in the game is only just beginning.