Never in tennis has the power vacuum been filled so convincingly. When Ash Barty retired at her peak in March, she also dropped the No. 1 ranking in the women’s sport. It went on to the next name on the ladder, Iga Sweetek, Nadal Acolyt from Poland, with some serious topspins of her own, and an increasing clay court resume. Sweettech became No. 1 in early April, when she was already on the heater, and to dispel any rumors about her luck winning the top spot, she has since refused to miss a tennis match. By defeating Coco Goff 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the French Open on Saturday, Sweetech extended her series to 35 wins.
Sweetek is the eighth woman in the open era to have such a long streak; This is the longest since Venus Williams scored 35 in 2000 and more than the 34 that Serena won in 2013. In that streak, Sweetek turned 21; Won 70 sets out of 76 played; Claimed six titles at both Hard Court (Doha, Indian Wells, Miami) and Clay (Stuttgart, Rome, Roland Garros); And the promising young talent transformed into WTA’s undisputed alpha. It has been fruitful for three months in the office.
“I feel like I’ve won two Grand Slams. You’re really confirming that you did it. So I was just chasing her, “said SweiTech as she pursued her 2020 French Open title. “Now, I don’t know what I’m going to chase. Maybe I’m going to chase some good snacks today. That’s all. .
Streak needs to master different situations and different matchups, and Sweetek can be thankful for the maturity of her game this season. She has reversed her natural inclinations — a defensive high-margin, loopy style ण्यासाठी to keep pace and attack her opponents.
“Right now I have moments when I feel like I have nothing to lose and I’m going all out,” Sweetek said in Doha, where her series began. “Actually, I didn’t want to take that risk before, because I didn’t want to be the kind of player who would just shoot the ball and we’ll see if it’s going to be in or out. . I always wanted to be a solid and clay-court player who would play topspin and stay behind. “
Working with new coach Tomaz Viktorovsky has made her strokes “loose”. Sweettech keeps that old perseverance in her footwork and in balance — when she’s not firmly rooted on the court, her knees are bent, she’s not pulling strength from her legs – and with some more firepower and risk tolerance added, it’s hard to get a single blow at any stage. Already a strong returner and defender, her big topspin forehand is undoubtedly the best shot on the WTA right now. (Ignore the sweat of the thumbnail of this YouTube video; the highlights are all-inclusive.)
If there’s one downside, it’s that Swiatek has done a great job of beating any real rivals. That applies to top-10 neighbors like Maria Sakkari or Arena Sabalenka; Newcomers like Goff or Emma Radukanu; Or a veterinarian like Simona Halep or Victoria Azarenka. When Naomi Osaka came back from absence to reach the finals at the Miami Open, I was expecting an amazing final. After the first set of the competition, Svitech closed the festivities 6-0. She has yet to make a lasting impact on the grass in her career, and with her own entry she only wants to win one or two on the “hard” surface, so her teammates can read on for the next few weeks. Talent like her is looking for a way to translate on all surfaces. A young Nadal was once washed out in the second round of Wimbledon and advanced to three straight finals – but a superfan would already know that.
