Iga Swiatek will want to win the French Open multiple times like Rafael Nadal: Alex Corretja
Alex Corretja has said that Iga Swiatek will look to replicate Rafael Nadal and win multiple French Open titles.
The World No. 1 has been in very good form this season, winning 21 matches on the trot. She also won three successive WTA 1000 titles at Qatar, Indian Wells and Miami.
Speaking to Eurosport, Corretja said that Swiatek's mindset has been crucial to her success.
"For me, the most important thing for Iga, it was her mind," Corretja said. "I mean, all of a sudden she came and won Roland Garros. And then she needed time to understand where she was in the earth of tennis, outside tennis, and of course some people doubted about her, believing if she can play well on hard courts because of her forehand especially.
"And also, she might have some doubts, and at the beginning of the year, you could see that she was more suffering than enjoying or understanding her game. I think as soon as she lost in Australia, she relieved a little bit of all that pressure and she felt like 'Okay, I'm ready, I don't need to worry that much if I'm winner or loser. I need to do my game.' :
Corretja hailed Swiatek's game, saying that she is dictating more, is serving better and has become more aggressive on the return.
"And that's what she did perfectly in the States, she started to dictate, she's started to dicate, she's serving better, she's more aggressive on the return. I think she's moving her wrist much faster on hard courts than before where she used to play a little bit late and she was making more mistakes, her backhand is working unbelievable. She can play flat with the forehand, can give a little more height.
The former French Open runner-up also said that Swiatek will be a great contender for Roland Garros and that on clay, players will find it hard to beat her. He also said that the Pole could look to replicate Rafael Nadal's result on claycourt and Roland Garros.
"She gonna be a great contender for Roland Garros and on clay, it's gonna be difficult to beat her because she moves well and she can attack a lot, and when you depend upon yourself. This is always super good, especially on clay when you have the feeling that, doesn't matter who you play, it will depend on you, and this is key.
"She knows that the next Grand Slam, if she's in good shape, she can have a very nice chance to win it again. And when she did it before, she feels like she can repeat, and this is very important. You know she's got the example from Rafa in a way that she admires Rafa a lot, that he's been winning Roland Garros one time, two times, three times. She might be like 'okay why can't I do the same' ."
"Her time has come" ⭐️🇵🇱
Alex Corretja believes World no. 1 Iga Swiatek will be targeting multiple French Open titles like her idol Rafael Nadal 🏆
@AlexCorretja74 | @iga_swiatek https://t.co/X9QP1NEJVL
Iga Swiatek will compete in the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open
Iga Swiatek has continued her impressive run of form at the Stuttgart Open. She reached the semifinals of the tournament with wins over Eva Nys and Emma Raducanu.
The 20-year-old faces Liudmila Samsonova in the final four.