Iga Swiatek's coach praises No. 1 for performances that could 'only be dreamed of' after Grand Slam wins
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Updated 02/12/2022 at 20:41 GMT
2022 was perhaps the best year of Iga Swiatek's career. She won several WTA 1000 ranking events, two Grand Slams in the form of the US and French Opens, and enjoyed success at other major tournaments. She also became world No. 1 in April this year, and her coach has praised her commitment to improvement but also promised they are working to make her even better.
Swiatek 'has a drive inside of her' and is 'motivated by getting even better' - Wilander
Iga Swiatek’s coach has praised the world No.1 for how quickly she has improved over the course of the year.
Swiatek has become the world No. 1 in 2022 after the retirement of Ashleigh Barty at the beginning of the season.
Tomasz Wiktorowski is the 21-year-old’s coach and he said he was not surprised by her success, but is a little taken aback by just how quickly she adapts to lessons.
The trainer started with Swiatek at the start of 2021 and he praised her for her hard work from the off.
“She kept up the high level she showed at the beginning. There were no major wobbles. Everything was on a level that could previously only be dreamed of,” he told Polish outlet Sport.pl.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect her to be able to implement these little things so soon, like correcting her forehand swing, return position or changing the distribution and direction of her shots,” he continued.
“From a technical point of view, Iga has improved her serving most this year. I can confirm this with the numbers.”
While Swiatek won the French Open and US Open this year, and reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open, Wiktorowski said there is work to be done ahead of the 2023 season, which starts in Australia at the end of December ahead of January’s Open.
“We’re working a lot on slice right now, forehand and backhand. Also on the volley. A drop shot is played with a move like a slice,” he explained.
Swiatek emerged as one of the most talented youngsters in the game when she won the French Open aged 19 in 2020.
She became No. 1 in the world at the start of April following Barty’s exit from the sport and has continued to retain the ranking for the rest of the year.
As a result of her status she gained entry to the end-of-season finals competition, where she reached the semi-final stages. She also reached the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup this year. She also won the Dubai/Qatar Open, the Indian Wells Open, Miami Open and Italian Open on the WTA 1000 circuit.
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