A Difficult Season Takes Shape
Iga Swiatek is facing her toughest year since 2021, and even her own coaching team is openly acknowledging the scale of the challenge. The 25-year-old Polish star currently sits 10th in the WTA Race standings heading into the Asian Swing, sitting roughly 700 points behind eighth-placed Linda Noskova and needing a strong run in Beijing and Wuhan just to stay in contention for the season-ending WTA Tour Finals in Singapore.
Coach Francisco Roig, who joined Swiatek's team in April and is best known for his long stint working with Rafael Nadal, told Radio Zet that missing the Finals would not spell disaster. He said the priority is performing well in the upcoming tournaments without obsessing over the qualification picture, noting that more preparation time heading into next season could actually be a silver lining if things do not fall into place.
The Forehand Fix and What Comes Next
Despite a partnership that has yet to produce consistent results across the three Grand Slams they have worked together, Roig is pointing to genuine technical improvement. He identified unforced errors, particularly on first serve, as a chronic problem, arguing that Swiatek has too often been the architect of her own defeats rather than being outplayed by opponents.
The Canadian Open title in Toronto in August stands as the clearest sign of progress, with Roig highlighting a sharper forehand and improved error management during that run. He believes Swiatek sometimes tries too hard and that opponents should be the ones forced to take risks, not the other way around. Her collapse from 5-0 up in the first set against Qinwen Zheng at the US Open before losing in the fourth round underlines how much more consistency is still needed.
TennisDraw users tracking Swiatek's bracket prospects will want to watch closely how she starts the Asian Swing.
