It was a two and a half hours thriller. she defeated Sorana Cirstea by willpower, tenacity. Tennis alone would not be enough, because the Romanian played a great tournament and she did everything to take advantage of her strengths and Polish weaknesses.
“The surface is bad for Iga”
“This is probably the worst surface for Iga,” Mats Wilander says about the hard courts in Melbourne.
The three-time winner and winner of seven Grand Slam titles has long been watching Iga as an expert at Eurosport. And she knows that the Polish woman feels better on slower surfaces.
“Wilander is right,” he tells us. The former coach of Iga ¦wi ± tek, who now comments on her matches, talks about the surface and the problems that Iga causes rivals playing like Cirstea.
– When we started driving after the Grand Slam tournaments, the surface was the fastest at the Australian Open. Recently, the US Open has sped up a lot. Plus, the Wilson balls that the women play there are light. The surface in Melbourne is bad for Iga, but the balls are much heavier and much more comfortable for Iga – says Sierzputowski.
“You play with a heavy saw. Same as the guys”
– In Australia you play with a heavy saw. Same thing as guys. On the other hand, at the US Open, the balls are light and fly faster – explains Sierzputowski. – For me it is nonsense that you change balls and you have to adapt to different balls all year round. Anyway, at the US Open the balls are light and fly faster – adds the coach. So in Melbourne, the women play the same balls as the men. On the other hand, in the US, men still play with similar balls, and tennis players with much lighter balls, which may not quite suit Iga Świątek.
On the other hand, about the surfaces, Sierzputowski also says: – At the Australian Open, Iga plays on the largest courts, and they are a bit slower than the smaller ones. But in general, the surface in Melbourne is very fast. We can’t even compare to Indian Wells and Miami. Indian Wells is even slower than the meal on.
And isn’t it that of all the Grand Slam tournaments, Iga is the most difficult to play on? Świątek emphasized many times that she did not feel confident on the grass. – She still lacks experience there. If you sum up everything, Iga probably played on the grass for two months in her life. I would give her six more weeks and it would not be a problem – replies Sierzputowski.
“Iga has to work on it”
Of course, the surfaces and balls are just curiosities, additions to Iga’s very good game. But it is worth knowing that Świątek has just achieved the best result in her career (in the fourth round of the Australian Open, Polka was for the third time, but previously dropped out in it) in a tournament that is not easy for her. It is much harder to play in Melbourne than at the favorite Roland Garros in Paris.
It is especially difficult for Iga to play against rivals such as Cirstea. – Such girls spoil Iga’s blood – says Sierzputowski.
“Such”, that is, what? – Those who like to hit with all their strength, who like to play flat and can do it on the run – explains the coach. – Iga has to work on playing against such rivals. He still has a lot of career ahead of him and it will probably get better. In any case, it can be improved a lot – notes Sierzputowski.
“Świątek is impressive. Nobody else in the world has such a series”
The former coach of Świątek praises the 20-year-old for her impressive regularity. Cirstea was walking like a storm. She won three matches in a very good style, caught the wind in her sails and reached the second week of the Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2017. However, Iga did it for the sixth time in a row. Iga impresses with her regularity. No one else in the world has such a series – emphasizes Sierzputowski.
In the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, Iga ¦wi ± tek will play with. The Estonian, ranked 115th in the WTA ranking, sensationally defeated Aryna Sabalenka (2 WTA) 5: 7, 6: 2, 7: 6 (10-7) in the fourth round.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
