Former world No 1 reveals why Iga Swiatek has a big problem at the Australian Open
Iga Swiatek may be a five-time Grand Slam champion, but she has struggled to play her best tennis at the Australian Open and now former world No 1 Justine Henin has offered up some theories about why the Pole struggles in Melbourne.
Swiatek’s best run at the Australian Open was an appearance in the 2022 semi-finals, where she lost against Danielle Collins.
Now she is eyeing up another deep run at the opening Grand Slam of the year, yet Henin believes she may struggle to find her best form in the fast and hot conditions in Melbourne.
Swiatek has won four of her Grand Slams on clay courts at the French Open, but seven-time Grand Slam winner Henin believes she may never be at her best in Australia.
“We have seen her win on clay at Roland Garros and we have seen her win the US Open on hard courts, so she can do it,” said Eurosport expert Henin.
“She is made for clay. The way she plays, clay gives her the possibility to be so dominant and to make a huge difference.
“The way she moves on clay is perfect for here, but it is not like that on hard courts where players are serving big and taking the advantage.
“On hard and grass, you need different kinds of weapons. It is going faster and on grass you need a different kind of agility. Also coming to the net is not where she feels most comfortable.
“Iga has to handle different things on another surface, but she will keep having an evolution in her game to feel more comfortable on grass and on hard courts.
“I can compare this to myself. I won the US Open and the Australian Open. I also played a couple of finals at Wimbledon, but still, I was completely aware that where I could make the biggest difference was on clay.
“I can understand the feeling she has. Even though she has proved she can win on hard, it will be a massive challenge for her given the way the other players are playing.”
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“We can feel with Swiatek she’s a bit anxious and pressure sometimes is tough. But still, she finds a way to handle it.
“The difference she’s able to make in Paris compared to the other players – she really deals with the clay like very few players in a way she is unable to do on other surfaces.”
Swiatek has admitted she feels the weight of expectation on her shoulders when she plays in a Grand Slam, after achieving so much at the age of 23.
“Sometimes when I lose some matches, I realise that people just expect me to win because I won so much earlier that they got used to it,” she said.
“But no, this is constant work and taking care of many things also off the court and having good people around you, managing your whole life basically so you can play good and consistently.
“Everybody’s story is different, and everybody struggles with different stuff, but it doesn’t matter.
“When we’re going to be out there on the court, whoever is going to play better will win, and that’s it. I’ll just focus on tennis.”
Swiatek has a chance to reclaim the world No 1 ranking if she can win her first Australian Open in next Saturday’s final in Melbourne.
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