How best to describe Iga Swiatek’s 2024 campaign? Baffling? Understandable? Concerning?
As has been the case this entire decade, Swiatek was superb on clay, winning three tournaments on dirt—including her fourth at Roland Garros. There also came hard-court victories at Indian Wells and Doha. But a trio of losses at the other majors—to Linda Noskova at the Australian Open, to Yulia Putintseva at Wimbledon and to Jessica Pegula at the US Open—revealed the kind of tactical limitations and emotional fragility not often seen in a future Hall of Famer.
The grim mid-match dynamic that exists between Swiatek and her team strikes me as draining, both over the course of a match and as a form of career management. How will all that change as the now No. 2-ranked Pole continues her work with new coach Wim Fissette?
“I for sure want to improve my serve, as I’ve been doing for past years,” Swiatek said recently. “I think tactically there are many ways I could go and have more variety on court. Wim has some nice ideas.”
Here’s hoping that when 2025 gets underway, Swiatek will reveal more solutions for managing adversity.
