Mumbai: Iga Swiatek had not been herself for the first half of the year. The dominance with which she would conquer opponents and titles had suddenly been replaced by a player second-guessing her every move.
She was losing early in tournaments she had once won. Often stoic, she was letting her emotions show on court. And in one unfortunate incident at Indian Wells, she hit a ball into the stands in frustration, only for it to come dangerously close to a ball boy.
Swiatek had not done what she was expected to do. But in July, on a surface she admitted she was least comfortable on, she did the unexpected. She won the Wimbledon Championships.
Just when it seemed that the wheels were coming off, she plowed back into form. Last week, she picked up another title for the first time in her career, clinching the Cincinnati Masters.
And now as the US Open beckons, the in-form six-time Grand Slam champion is a firm title contender.
“I guess it’s true that the best things come to you when you expect them the least,” Swiatek posted on social media after winning in Cincinnati, her 24th singles title and 11th WTA 1000 level triumph.
“I’m super proud of the work we put (in) as a team to make this happen. Grinding no matter what, building resilience and patience. It’s not always easy, doesn’t come naturally. It’s just constant and deliberate work and believing that anything is possible. I couldn’t be happier.”
The belief is back in her game, and that has taken her back up the ranking ladder – she was the eight seed at Wimbledon but is now the world No.2.
But more importantly, within the unforgiving grind of professional sport, she finds herself being happy on court once again.
“I gotta say that I feel that these last couple of weeks were the best part of my season,” she said at the Wimbledon Champions Ball, days after her triumph in London. “I really enjoyed myself on the court, even though I didn’t expect that on grass. I just want to get back on court and have these feelings again.”
This is in stark contrast to what she felt once the US Open ended last year.
After her quarter-final finish in New York last season, she was informed that she had tested positive trimetazidine (or TMZ). Swiatek argued that the banned substance entered her system through the contaminated medication she had been using to deal with sleep issues and jet lag.
The entire incident made her a controversial figure on tour, especially since Swiatek, a high-profile player, had been given only a one-month ban, which she completed in the off-season, leading to allegations of her receiving preferential treatment from tennis’ governing bodies.
In a social media post in March, Swiatek revealed that she had spent “three weeks crying daily, and (not) wanting to step on the court” during that period last year.
But now she has started to hit the right notes on court.
At Wimbledon, she dropped only one set before going on to clinch the title with a stunning 6-0, 6-0 scoreline in the final against Amanda Anisimova.
And on Monday in Cincinnati, where her best finish was in the semi-finals in 2023 and 2024, she won the title without dropping a set the entire tournament.
The powerful forehand has become as destructive as before, the backhand is back in rhythm. And under coach Wim Fissette, who coached the likes of Kim Clijsters and Naomi Osaka to Grand Slam titles, Swiatek has become even more aggressive on her serve.
As the biggest names in tennis descend upon the Billie Jean King Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows, Swiatek, the champion in 2022, comes as a firm favourite.