By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Monday, March 3, 2025
Photograph credit score: On
Tennis Paradise is the panacea to treatment listless losses stressing Iga Swiatek, says Corridor of Famer Lindsay Davenport.
Assembly the media in a Zoom name final week to advertise Tennis Channel’s first-ball-to-last ball BNP Paribas Open protection beginning Wednesday at 1 p.m. Jap time, TC analyst Davenport detailed why Swiatek struggled on the Center East swing—and why she believes the defending champion will flip it up in Indian Wells.
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Former world No. 1 in singles and doubles, Davenport mentioned clear indicators of stress had been evident in Swiatek’s face and physique language throughout her 6-3, 6-3 loss to Mirra Andreeva in Dubai that adopted a 6-3, 6-1 shellacking by the hands of Jelena Ostapenko within the Doha semifinals.
“When Iga performs, there are specific gamers the place you’re feeling like they can not assist however put on their feelings, and also you get a extremely good sense of Iga in case you are trying into her eyes,” Davenport instructed the media. “For no matter motive and we do not know form of what has been occurring, however she simply appears to be like extra stressed on the courtroom.
“Whether or not that is as a result of perhaps the outcomes have not been there or the change of coach, I do not know. So I am speculating. She simply would not look as calm or comfy on the courtroom when issues form of get a little bit bit shut as she has up to now when she performs her finest tennis.”
Although Swiatek has gained Indian Wells in two of the final three years, she’s dealing with extra questions in her Palm Springs return.
After efficiently defending her Doha championship, Swiatek carried a 14-2 file into the 2024 Indian Wells—and unleashed dominance on Tennis Paradise final spring. Swiatek swept by the sphere with out surrendering a set dispatching Danielle Collins, Linda Noskova, Yulia Putintseva, Caroline Wozniacki, Marta Kostyuk and Maria Sakkari within the 2024 closing.
Swiatek has gained 16 of her final 17 BNP Paribas Open matches.
It’s a unique Swiatek, who will launch her title protection this week. Working with new coach Wim Fissette, Swiatek has tried to impose her pace and spin management on heavy hitters. However her final three losses—a heart-breaking 7-6-in-the-third-set Australian Open semifinal defeat to Madison Keys and straight-set sweeps to Ostapenko and Andreeva—have come towards gamers who can command the middle of the courtroom and repeatedly beat the speedy Pole with drives down the road.
Davenport says Indian Wells is a “good” courtroom for Swiatek for a couple of completely different causes.
Situations are slower and the courtroom is grittier which affords Swiatek the time she likes to arrange for her forehand and the very fact it’s in her altitude means the ball flies a bit. Swiatek’s heavy topspin performs properly within the desert the place she will be able to dive-bomb forehands into the corners with management whereas flatter hitters sail photographs lengthy within the thinner air.
Then there’s Swiatek’s confidence in Tennis Paradise the place she’s been so profitable during the last three years and Davenport says it’s a treatment to rev up her profitable methods.
“She is simply trying a little bit bit form of pressed on the market. Typically it solely takes one event, one match, one set, one thing that clicks in for a participant and issues begin to flip round,” Davenport mentioned of Swiatek. “She’s lucky she’s coming into one in every of her favourite tournaments, the event she’s been so wildly profitable at. A number of instances these form of good feelings can form of flip the swap additionally.
“The courtroom is ideal for her. It provides her time. Just like Alcaraz, she nonetheless hits sufficiently big. She will be able to hit by the situations. However mentally that’s the greatest problem for her. Is she recent? Is she assured? Does she imagine getting in that she will be able to play her finest tennis and win one?
“Just like Sabalenka the place she’s enjoying to win Grand Slams, she was very disillusioned to not win the Australian Open or to lose that match to Madison. She had it there for a time period; let it slip away. Once more, one other participant that did not play nice within the Center East swing.”
To gauge Swiatek’s confidence degree in her early matches, watch her physique language between factors, says Davenport, who believes it reveals how the previous No. 1 is actually feeling.
“So she’ll are available in need and needing to do properly I feel simply to attempt to get again to No. 1 additionally, preserve that in attain,” Davenport mentioned. “We’ll must see what her mindset is at.
“I all the time say take a look at her and the way she’s comporting herself out on the courtroom, how is she on the follow courtroom, is she relaxed, as a result of she is one you’ll be able to form of see fairly early on how she’s feeling.”
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