The power vacuum has never been filled so firmly in tennis. When Ash Barty retired at her top in March, she also vacated the No. 1 ranking in the women’s game. It was the next name in the ladder, Iga Suatek, a Nadal Acolyte from Poland, with some pretty serious topspins of his own and a growing clay court resume. Swatech became No. 1 in early April, when he was already on the hitter, and as if throwing a whisper that he was fortunately at the top, he has since refused to lose a tennis match. Svetk extended his streak to 35 wins, beating Coco Goff 6-1, 6-3 in the final of the French Open on Saturday.
The eighth woman to collect a streak of this length at the Sweattech Open Era; This is the longest since Venus Williams hit 35 in 2000, and longer than Serena’s 34 wins in 2013. 70 out of 76 sets won; Hard Court (Doha, Indian Wells, Miami) and Clay (Stuttgart, Rome, Roland Garros) have claimed six titles across; And transformed from a promising young talent into the WTA’s unquestionable alpha. That office is a productive three months.
“I feel like I’ve won two Grand Slams, you’re really sure you can do that. So I was chasing it a bit, “said Suatek, referring to his 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. “He walked around Paris on Sunday to watch Rafa win his 14th, and then at rest, a luxury that is rarely found among the best tennis players alive.
A streak requires mastery of both different conditions and different matchups, and Swiatek can be thankful for the maturity of his game this season. He has pushed his normal tendency — a defensive high margin, loopy style রাখতে to keep his foot on the baseline and attack his opponent.
“Right now I have a moment when I can feel like I have nothing to lose and I’m going through everything,” said Suatek in Doha, where the tournament began. “Actually, I didn’t want to take that risk before, because I didn’t want to be a player who was just going to shoot the ball and we’re going to see if it’s going to be in or out. . I have always wanted to be a strong and clay-court player who is going to play topspin and stay behind. ”
Working with new coach Thomas Viktoroski “loosens” his stroke. Swiatek maintains that old firmness in its footwork and balance কঠিন it’s hard to find a single stroke at any given point when it doesn’t firmly root on the court, bends the knee, draws strength from its legs – and adds more firepower and risk tolerance. Already an influential returner and defender, his big topspin forehand is unquestionably the best shot in the WTA right now. (Ignore the sweat on the thumbnails of this YouTube video; the highlights are extensive.)
If there is one downside, it is that Swiatek has become too good at maintaining any real competition. This goes for top-10 neighbors like Maria Sakkari or Arina Sabalenka; Newcomers like Goff or Emma Radukanu; Or a veterinarian like Simona Halep or Victoria Azarenka. When Naomi Osaka bounced back from her absence in the final of the Miami Open, I was expecting a great final. After a competitive first set, Swiatek quickly closed the festivities 6-0. He has yet to make a consistent impact on the grass in his career, and wants only one or two wins on the “hard” surface in his own confession, so his teammates may be spared for the next few weeks. Although talent like his finds a way to translate across the surface. A young Nadal once made it to three finals in a row from a washout in the second round of Wimbledon কিন্তু but a superfan might already know that.