Iga Swiatek is looking to win her first Wimbledon title at the All England Club this year, and sixth Grand Slam overall.
Swiatek has struggled in SW19 throughout her career, tallying her worst win percentage at the tournament of all four majors, with 69%.
Her best campaign was in 2023, when she reached the quarter-finals, before bowing out to Elina Svitolina.
Grass has been a difficult surface for the Pole over the years, but recently she has shown signs of improvement.
In preparation for Wimbledon, Swiatek reached the final of the Bad Homburg Open, but ultimately lost to world number three Jessica Pegula, who thinks her opponent has come on leaps and bounds on grass.
Jessica Pegula assesses Iga Swiatek’s level on grass
In her pre-tournament press conference ahead of the championships, Pegula said of Swiatek: “Her footwork is so good. I think that’s really important on grass. I think footwork is definitely one of her strengths.
“And I thought she was serving really well. I mean, she was serving big. She aced me like nine or ten times, and that’s definitely the biggest she’s served against me on any of the other surfaces, and maybe that was intentional, I don’t know.
“Maybe trying to get more free points, maybe that’s something she and her team have kind of been working on. I don’t know if that’s what her goal was the whole week.
“I’m not sure, but she was definitely serving really well. And, I mean, that’s why in her speech. She’s like, ‘Oh, there’s hope for me.’
“I’m like, ‘You’re still pretty good.’ Like, I’m pretty sure she made, like, quarters or semis here. Yeah, like, it’s she won junior Wimbledon. I’m like, ‘you’re not a lost cause.’
“So, I think she was just a little hard on herself just because, obviously, she’s been so dominant, especially on Clay, and, you know, it’s hard when you don’t feel as natural on a surface. I’m sure it doesn’t feel as natural to her, but, yeah, she’ll be fine.
“I mean, again, and I think it depends on the matchups, too. Like, yeah, if you play a really good grass player early, yeah, it can be tricky if it’s not natural for you.
“But, yeah, I mean, I thought it was a high-level match, to be honest, like, for both of us. We were both serving really well, returning well.
“We have some really good points. She still moves really well on the grass, too, which I think is, like, a huge advantage.”
Jessica Pegula and Iga Swiatek’s draws at Wimbledon
Pegula will face Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the first round of Wimbledon this year, while Swiatek will take on Polina Kudermetova.
The five-time Grand Slam champion finds herself on the same side of the draw as Coco Gauff and 2022 winner Elena Rybakina.
On the other hand, Pegula’s quarter includes Mirra Andreeva and defending champion Barbora Krejcikova.
The two Bad Homburg finalists are both in the bottom half of the draw and could meet each other in the semi-finals.
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