Iga Swiatek has “room for improvement” with her forehand on faster surfaces, believes former Wimbledon champion and world No 2 Conchita Martinez.
Five-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek is one of the most decorated players of the past decade, having won four French Open titles and a US Open title, alongside 125 weeks as the world No 1.
However, after a dominant start to 2024, the 23-year-old has failed to win a title since prevailing at Roland Garros for a third straight season.
Among notable losses for Swiatek were a round three defeat at Wimbledon and a quarter-final exit at the US Open, while failing to make the second week of the Australian Open in January.
The Pole has sometimes struggled to find her best tennis on faster courts, and this is one area that Martinez believes the current world No 2 can improve.
Speaking ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga, Martinez – a former coach of Garbine Muguruza, and current coach of Mirra Andreeva – believed this would be a focus for Swiatek.
“Well, she’s been the best player in the world for quite some time – I like Iga’s game a lot. She’s got a lot of good things,” said Martinez.
“But you can only progress, and you can get a little bit better in different areas for sure. I know she wants to work on her serve, to be a little bit better.
“I would work a lot with the powerful shots she has from the baseline. I would work with more transitions into the net, because she could do that a little bit more.
“I mean, she’s better on slower surfaces, so I would focus a lot on playing aggressive on faster surfaces.
“She moves great, she’s one of the great movers. She covers a lot of the court, but I think with the forehand she can do a lot more.
“I consider myself a specialist in teaching forehand and going a little more into the net, and in faster surfaces. When she has time, she’s good, but when she has less time, there’s room for improvement.”
Swiatek was in action at the WTA Finals this week, where she failed to progress from her group despite two wins across her three matches.
