Every Swiatek It has undoubtedly been the great protagonist of the circuit WTA. The Pole has surpassed all her rivals both physically and tennis-wise and many of them now want to know what her secret has been to achieve such a season.
With the course already finished, your coach Tomasz Wiktorowski She sat down to talk to sport.pl and told how they have faced this season and what are the plans for the following year, in which the Polish will seek to even surpass what she has achieved this year, especially by expanding her Grand Slams tally.
Preparation plan for the new season
“We have planned physical training in Warsaw. Then in mid-December we will fly to Dubai where we will focus on tennis matters. Here, in Poland, the advantage is the physical side, the motor preparation. Although, of course, it’s not that we don’t work on tennis. Then Dubai will play some exhibitions that worked well for me when I was training Radwanska and I don’t see any obstacle for it not to be like that this time, they are matches in which you have to fight but nothing happens if you are not at 100%. Then we will go to the United Cup and we still have to decide if after this event we will play another one or go directly to Melbourne”.
What makes you most proud about Swiatek this year
“How Iga was able to spend the season. He maintained a high level throughout the year. There are several preparation areas in tennis. The three basic ones are: motor, technical-tactical and mental. However, there are many more factors involved. Iga presented a very high level in each of the components. This year, Iga managed to stay in shape, not just peak him. Reaching that peak is easy, although for some, of course, it is unattainable. Reaching two or three peaks of form in a season is easier than maintaining them. This is something amazing in modern tennis, generally in a sport where the intensity of the starts is very high. I am also proud of the fact that we have managed to introduce a mentality that assumes that we are not looking for a decent result, but for a win, the bar is set as high as possible.”
I didn’t know Iga before training her
“Personally, I barely knew Iga. Our tennis life turned out in such a way that I used to have contact with her father, but not really with Iga herself. It’s rare that we cross paths like this, but that’s how it turned out. We spoke maybe three times before meeting for a collaborative chat. I commentated on Iga matches for almost two years. I started working with her at the end of November of last year and I already had an idea ready”.
What has improved the most about your game?
In strictly tennis terms, what has actually improved the most is the serve. I have confirmation of this in numbers. Throughout the year, the Iga app has improved a lot. The service faltered a bit in the middle of the season, the efficiency dropped, but then increased towards the end of the year. For example, Iga won the US Open final mainly on serve, especially in the first set. However, I am happier with the way Iga made decisions on the pitch, with the responsibility for him. At the beginning of the year we decided to show him more aggressive tennis. Aggression can be introduced through the speed, rhythm and direction of the ball. Iga started to make very good decisions about when to accelerate, from which balls, how much speed and in which direction.
The grass as a pending issue
No. We will approach it as the season is planned. For now, we focus on the beginning of the year. There will come a time when we start thinking about grass. We thought above all about developing Iga in all directions, which should also give her better tools to feel more confident on this type of surface.
women’s tennis trend
“Three or four years ago it seemed to me that we were going towards a very physical tennis, but at the same time technically better and better. It amazes me that girls who don’t have a complete technique come out again. Only the number two in the world, Ons Jabeur, has very interesting tennis, the number four, Caroline García, too: she plays a lot at the net, she has a varied serve. Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, on the other hand, are one of the best couples, but you can tell technical shortcomings in them.
