What went Wrong With Roland-Garros

Chris Oddo of @TheFanChild explores what Iga Swiatek needs to do to become Wimbledon champion following her loss on Day 6 against Yulia Putintseva 3-6 6 1 6 2. Swiatek states she knows exactly what steps are necessary. “I understand what needs to change and will work toward making those modifications,” Swiatek stated on Saturday night at Wimbledon’s main press room. “Now that grass season has concluded, I no longer feel it necessary to overanalyze this match as an indicator for next week, since the court conditions will likely differ drastically between clay and hard court. Now is not the time for dwelling over it. “Now isn’t the moment.” Swiatek faces two important events next month – Paris’ Olympics are of crucial significance and hard court season in North America is approaching rapidly – before she returns to grass court play. When revisiting her situation there she must find ways to accomplish both tasks simultaneously: (1) play well against strong rivals (2) secure her ranking for Paris 2012. First and foremost, she needs to recharge and refresh her batteries after investing so heavily in clay-court seasons. Swiatek has taken home four out of the past six Roland-Garros titles since 2011, yet she often struggles when switching surfaces after leaving clay courts early June. Fatigue becomes evident on grass court surfaces. Secondarily, Swiatek must find ways of spending more time practicing on them to develop the same comfort she experiences on harder courts or clay.

@iga_swiatek teaches us valuable lessons. Can’t wait for Wimbledon! pic.twitter.com/En0WsMbAdJ
Swiatek finds tennis’ mental challenges more taxing than technical ones; “On grass I need more energy in order to be patient with mistakes and accept mistakes more readily”, as she explained to press. Unfortunately she did not fare that well mentally in this tournament either. Physically and mentally I must recover better after clay court season.” Swiatek does possess enough talent and ability to win on grass; she just has to figure out a way of transitioning with ease into that deep focus which characterised her success on clay courts. “Transitioning from playing my best tennis ever on one surface to struggling more on another surface was difficult for me,” she explained, noting their loss in the third round and feeling they underachieved somewhat. But this is tennis, so I need to move forward. There will be many more chances this year to show my game, so that is my main priority.” Grass remains an obstacle in her path as she attempts to expand her Grand Slam legacy; Wimbledon in particular is often seen as an obstacle on this front. Granted, she would love to complete a career Grand Slam (winning all four majors at least once) but time will pass before that is possible – though her talent should help. As soon as she steps onto the court again, she must devote extra effort and focus to getting into an optimal mindset and comfort zone – just as King of Clay Rafael Nadal had to face every time he won Roland-Garros. He had difficulty playing on grass and found ways to navigate his tight calendar at Wimbledon to complete matches successfully. Iga Swiatek may not be Rafa Nadal, but she can draw upon his success to draw her own inspiration for grass play as much as on clay. Please keep in mind that Swiatek is only 23 and that her success on clay may present unique difficulties when transitioning onto grass courts. Time will bring relief, as she becomes an even stronger presence on grass courts than she currently is. There’s no reason for alarm; Serena Williams won five majors before turning 23; should Wimbledon remain unwon in five years’ time, we may raise some concerns but for now she needs only Paris on which she needs gold!

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