“She is always looking to improve”- Barbara Rittner hails Iga Swiatek’s ‘decision’ ahead of the French Open 2022
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Iga Swiatek and Barbara Rittner
According to Barbara Rittner, Iga Swiatek’s decision to work with Tomasz Wiktorowski instead of her long-time coach demonstrates that she is “always looking to improve and take the next step.” Wiktorowski was hired late the year after previously working with Piotr Sierzputowski, who coached her during her 2020 French Open victory.
Swiatek will be one of the clear favourites for the 2022 French Open. She has won 28 of her previous 28 matches, including the Italian Open final, where she defeated Ons Jabeur in straight sets to win her fifth WTA championship in a row.
Also Read: Revealed! Iga Swiatek’s path to win her second grand slam in Paris
“She is the best player at the moment”- Barbara Rittner
“The decision was interesting. Things were going really well, even with her young coach for many years,” said Barbara Rittner, former professional player, on Eurosport Germany’s tennis podcast Das Gelbe vom Ball, ahead of the French Open. “I think it’s impressive that she made that decision at the age of 19 – after so much success. She is always looking to improve and take the next step.”
“It’s impressive how excellently and explosively she moves. She is the most agile and best player at the moment – powerful in her movement, but still with total ease. She almost doesn’t let herself be pushed off the baseline and always tries to take the ball as it rises. She recognises the situation for this incredibly early. She has an unbelievable combination of physical conditions and this insane anticipation,” she added.
“She switches quickly and then keeps cool on the shot. In addition, she has a special spin because she uses her wrist well. The whole package is particularly good on clay – we have known that for a long time. But she has now shown it really impressively on the hard courts, which have become slower on average and by the way, she has mentally found a way to have a constant calmness. That’s very impressive. She’s only 20 years old – we mustn’t forget that, “ the former tennis pro went on to add.
Iga Swiatek is the favourite to win the French Open 2022
Swiatek has only lost one match since beginning the 2022 season with a last-four loss to Ash Barty at the Adelaide International and a semi-final loss to Danielle Collins at the Australian Open. She has won five of the six tournaments she has played in, including four WTA 1000 titles. Iga Swiatek has won 28 straight matches after losing to Jelena Ostapenko in Dubai on February 16 on her way to titles at the Qatar 1000, Indian Wells 1000, Miami 1000, Stuttgart 500, and Rome 1000.
Swiatek’s domination in women’s tennis extends beyond victory totals, with the right-handed Pole crushing her opponents, winning 42 of her previous 43 sets. She won the Italian Open and the Miami Open in April without dropping a set, and against some of the best players in the world, including Naomi Osaka, Jessica Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka, and Jabeur. Then there’s her finals record: she’s won her previous eight without allowing any of her opponents to win more than five games in the entire match. Swiatek is a near-insurmountable favourite to win her second French Open title in early June, but who will stop the end boss monster?
Also Read: WATCH: Iga Swiatek’s heartful response after catching up with Rafael Nadal ahead of French Open 2022
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Pritha Ghosh
(414 Articles Published)