Iga Świątek, the 23-year-old Polish tennis sensation, has been dominating the clay court scene, earning her the nickname „The Queen of Paris.” With four Grand Slam titles under her belt, all won on clay, Świątek has established herself as one of the best tennis players in the world. However, despite her success on clay, Świątek has been struggling to replicate the same level of performance on hard courts and grass.
In a recent interview with TVN 24, Świątek expressed her disappointment with her game on faster surfaces, stating, „I’ve already gotten disappointed with my game on grass and faster hard courts.” This admission comes as a surprise, considering Świątek’s impressive win at the US Open, which is played on hard courts.
Despite her triumph at the US Open, Świątek’s performance on hard courts has been inconsistent. At the Australian Open earlier this year, Świątek „dished out” several „bagels” (6:0 wins) and „baguettes” (6:1 wins) to her opponents, but also suffered a „baguette” loss to eventual champion Madison Keys.
So, when was the last time Świątek suffered a 0:6 loss on hard courts? According to thetennisgazette.com, Świątek last experienced a 0:6 defeat on March 10, 2021, at the WTA1000 tournament in Dubai. On that day, she fell to Garbiñe Muguruza in the quarterfinals. Muguruza went on to win the title that year.
Interestingly, Muguruza officially retired from professional tennis in 2024 and has since become the director of the WTA Finals in Riyadh, which was won by Coco Gauff that year.
According to Dawid Żbik’s calculations on X, Świątek last received a „bagel” in a match against Daria Kasatkina on June 23, 2021, at the Eastbourne tournament on grass. Kasatkina won the match 2:1 (4:6, 6:0, 6:1).
As for „baguettes,” Świątek received her last one (excluding the loss to Madison Keys) in a match against Julia Putinceva in the third round of Wimbledon 2024, and earlier in a match against Naomi Osaka in the first round of Roland-Garros.
With her new coach, Wim Fissette, Świątek is determined to improve her game on hard courts and grass, with an eye on winning Wimbledon. As she embarks on this new journey, tennis fans around the world will be watching closely to see if Świątek can conquer all surfaces and cement her place as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.