. The Estonian, who will turn 37 this year, reached the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam tournament for the seventh time in her career. And she did everything to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time.
Listed on the 9th place in the WTA ranking of Christmas, she defeated only 115th, but the Kanepi in Melbourne (even in the quarter-finals was better than the world number 2, Aryna Sabalenka), because she was able to show that she is a more versatile tennis player. And probably even more brave.
Iga Świątek can mix
– After losing the first set against Kanepi, Iga changed her game. Previously, she attacked the ball, entered the court more boldly. She did it very well, thanks to which she regained control of the exchanges. Iga is a great problem solver. Over the course of a year, she has developed tactically and mentally, analyzes Barbara Schett.
The Austrian was at the forefront at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. Then she reached the fourth round four times, was in the fourth rounds of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and at the US Open she played in the quarter-finals. The former number 7 in the WTA ranking is convinced that Świątek has further successes ahead of him, such as the triumph in Roland Garros 2020.
– In the past, Iga always felt better on the clay court than on the hard court, because on the latter she missed the forehand. Now she’s moving better, she’s a lot stronger physically and has gotten much smarter, says Schett. – The previous season was a year of great learning for her. Now he can mix everything he has. It can flatten the forehand, it can play it with rotation, it can play angle and forehand and backhand. I would like to see even more of this. And it is possible, because I evolve from month to month – adds the Eurosport expert.
“You can see Iga. I think she is strong”
Schett emphasizes not only the growing tennis skills of the 20-year-old Polish woman. She also pays a lot of attention to Iga’s head.
– Before the tournament, I talked to Iga’s psychologist. It was a really interesting conversation. They work hard every day, the psychologist follows Iga all the time, he is with her at every tournament and I think that is great – says Schett about the cooperation between Świątek and.
– We all know how difficult it is to control the mind, especially when we are under stress. Iga shows how she is worried, how she is sad, she has many different emotions. She tries to control it all, she follows the developed patterns. I think Iga is strong. And certainly when you are tough, properly prepared mentally, you can make the best decisions and play your best tennis – concludes Schett.
On Thursday, the match for the Australian Open final. With Danielle Collins
Iga ¦wi ± tek will have to play her best tennis again on Thursday. After winning the quarter-finals with Kanepi Polka, there is no day off. Iga will fight for the finals from 30th in the WTA ranking, Danielle Collins from the USA. The match will start around 11.30 Polish time. Live coverage on Sport.pl, broadcast in Eurosport.
Source: Sport
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