Iga Swiatek reveals three things she is ‘working on’ ahead of Qatar Open campaign

Oli Dickson Jefford 09 Feb 2026 1:00 PM

Iga Swiatek fistpumps during a match.

Iga Swiatek has revealed three things she has been “working on” ahead of her Qatar Open campaign — with reworking her serve being the Pole’s main focus.

World No 2 Swiatek is the top seed in the Qatar Open draw and is returning to one of her most successful events, having lifted the title in Doha for three straight years, from 2022-24.

However, the Pole saw her winning run at the tournament snapped by Jelena Ostapenko twelve months ago, and comes into the opening WTA 1000 event of 2026 looking to rediscover her best tennis after a challenging few months.

Swiatek was beaten by Coco Gauff and Belinda Bencic in her final two singles matches at the United Cup in January, and was then outplayed by eventual champion Elena Rybakina in the last eight of the Australian Open.

That came after a disappointing end to her 2025 season, falling in the fourth round of the China Open, the quarter-final of the Wuhan Open, and then exiting the WTA Finals at the round-robin stage.

Swiatek has not won a title since the Korea Open in Seoul last September, and all eyes are on whether she and coach Wim Fissette can rediscover the form that saw her win the Wimbledon title last July.

As she looks to get back into form, the Pole revealed in her pre-tournament press conference that she was looking to improve in three key areas: her serve, forehand, and footwork.

And, she explained why improving her serve was a particular focus.

She said: “I’ve been working on my serve, forehand, and my footwork. You can’t wait for the ball to come to you here. For sure, getting the toss more stable and twisting more.

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“There are different parts of the body that you can focus on when you twist. There are some different [things] that I’m doing, but at the same time, moving the elbow more back or getting the hips more.

“It’s not a change of motion, it’s just like what intentions you want to have when you do the motion. I wouldn’t call it a change. I don’t think it’s physical that much.

“From time to time, you always have to remind yourself of stuff like that in tennis. So the same case on the backhand, the same case on the forehand. I feel like I need to focus on that more.”

Swiatek has been handed an intriguing draw at the opening WTA 1000 event of the year, with the Pole in the same half as world No 4 and defending champion Amanda Anisimova.

The Pole memorably double-bagelled Anisimova in the Wimbledon final last July, but has lost to the American twice since then, tasting defeat at the US Open and WTA Finals.

Should Swiatek reach the final, she could face world No 3 Rybakina in a rematch of the 2024 championship match from this tournament.

Swiatek’s campaign will start against lucky loser Beatriz Haddad Maia or wildcard Janice Tjen.

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