The ‘problem’ Iga Swiatek had as a junior player that led to her winning five Grand Slams

Follow us on Google Discover

Iga Swiatek has become one of the best players on the WTA Tour over recent years, winning five Major titles.

The Polish star is one of the most recognizable names in women’s tennis, currently ranked second in the world, despite a disappointing semi-final exit at the Australian Open.

Swiatek won the US Open title in 2022, and took home four French Open crowns between 2020 and 2024, leaving her with five Grand Slams, more than any other active player on the WTA Tour.

At 23 years old, Swiatek has already held the number one ranking for a staggering 125 weeks and continues to be a heavy favorite whenever she steps onto a clay court.

With a 95% win rate at the French Open, Swiatek has already drawn comparisons with the legendary Rafael Nadal, who himself dominated at Roland Garros.

Her domination is partly thanks to her technically astute forehand, although it wasn’t always a shot that worked well during the Pole’s younger years.

Iga Swiatek’s junior coach Michal Kaznowski explains the ‘problem’ she had with her swing as a youngster

Speaking on CoachLife, Michal Kaznowski, who worked with Swiatek until the 2016 French Open, explained how he helped her generate more power in both her forehand and backhand.

“Why Iga [Swiatek] generates so nice power during her forehand or backhand especially, one of those [reasons] could be the linear path of the swing,” he said.

“It’s not typical because typically people do a loop swing, taking the racket high, letting it go, and going up.

“It’s very good and very nice, but she had a problem with over-extending the swing, so we decided to hold the elbow close and make it more linear, aiming the height of the ball, and making the loop only from the relaxed wrist.

“Then she can generate more, be quicker prepared when I was pushing her, she was better prepared and can generate more strength, just from the racket to the ball using the relaxed wrist.”

Swiatek’s backhand is perhaps her most recognizable shot, as she often gets low to the ground, a technique that Kaznowski has now explained.

“On the backhand, she was doing close elbows, linear swing, short, and then using legs to action to the ball,” he said.

“That I think, generated more power, and made her more comfortable in difficult positions, aiming the ball by the line of the swing and using legs in this moment to generate a lot of power.

“The path from the backswing to the ball is so short, so you can do this very quickly, you just prepare it and release.”

She can be seen doing so to good effect at the 2024 United Cup, using her backhand brilliantly to win a tough point against France’s Caroline Garcia.

Is Iga Swiatek the most successful active player on the WTA Tour?

Thanks to coaches like Kaznowski, Swiatek has become one of the best players in recent memory, winning several big titles on the WTA Tour.

Her five Major titles, see her stand above the competition, but at just 23 years of age, is she really head and shoulders above the rest?

Petra Kvitova who is set to return to tennis in 2025, has won nine more WTA titles than Swiatek, the only statistic where the Pole trails.

However, considering the Czech star is 11 years Swiatek’s senior, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the 34 year old has won more during her time in tennis.

Swiatek will be hoping to add another title to her glistening resume, soon, having not picked up a trophy since winning the French Open seven months ago.

Swiatek took down Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, 6-2, 6-1, in her most convincing Grand Slam final performance to date.

Her search for a 23rd WTA title will now turn to Doha, for the WTA 1000 event in Qatar, where she is a three-time defending champion.

The 2025 Qatar Open will begin on February 10, 2025, at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.