Iga Swiatek certainly hasn’t had it all her way in 2025, but the Pole is looking strong at the Miami Open.
Swiatek is the second seed at the Miami Open, and is now into the round of 16 after wins over Caroline Garcia and Elise Mertens.
WTA number two Swiatek reached the Indian Wells semi-finals before heading to Miami, but lost to eventual champion Mirra Andreeva.
That run came after the Pole also lost to eventual champion Andreeva in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Swiatek previously suffered back-to-back semi-final losses in the Australian Open and Qatar Open, losing to Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko respectively.
Iga Swiatek explains how ATP and WTA players differ on return of serve
Another lengthy run is now on the cards at the latest WTA 1000 event, with Elina Svitolina now awaiting in the last 16.
She looked ahead to that clash in her latest press conference, but was also tasked with a comparison between the WTA and ATP Tours, having been told that she is one of the best returners on the former.
It was noted that Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev stand back on the return of serve, with Swiatek asked if such an approach – which is less common on the WTA – could be useful to her against the top servers.
“Thanks for saying that,” she replied. “I think for sure it’s a nice thing to have in your toolbox. I can return like that, but I feel like I can put much more pressure stepping in. I don’t feel like I’m missing a lot. I didn’t feel like I need to do that.
“For sure, guys have a little bit more power. They are able to play from three meters behind the baseline for a whole match.
“In [the] women’s game, when everybody is stepping in, this really playing sometimes from the baseline, I think you can lose more from that.
“Guys, they are taking a bit more time to build the rally and figure out the tactical side. Sometimes in WTA, girls are hitting the first ball possible, stepping in, stepping in, stepping in. We don’t have time always to come back and build a rally. But I can return like that.”
Iga Swiatek posts impressive return stats on WTA Tour
Swiatek has certainly impressed in recent times when it comes to return of serve, leading the way in a number of categories for players who have regularly reached the latter stages of tournaments.
From her 213 return games played so far in 2025, she boasts figures of 48.4% and 48.9% for return games won and return points won respectively.
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Her break points converted total meanwhile stands at 52.6%, with figures of 41.9% and 59.0% for 1st return points won and 2nd return points won respectively.
| Rank | Player | Matches | 1st Rtn Pts % | 2nd Rtn Pts % | Rtn Gm Won % | BP Conv % | Rtn Pts Won % |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | 21 | 39.9% | 59.6% | 42.4% | 51.2% | 46.8% |
| 2 | Iga Swiatek | 23 | 41.9% | 59% | 48.4% | 52.6% | 48.9% |
| 3 | Coco Gauff | 15 | 41.6% | 52.7% | 38% | 56.1% | 45.7% |
| 4 | Jessica Pegula | 20 | 39% | 55.7% | 40.6% | 47.3% | 45.4% |
| 5 | Madison Keys | 20 | 37.4% | 56.2% | 37.5% | 46.5% | 44.9% |
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