Iga Świątek: A Measurement of Greatness - Issue #13
Iga Świątek’s 2022 season glistened with perfection. What sets her apart? And how should her success be measured?
Written by Dove Sallow
While looking back at the WTA 2022 season, it’s impossible to not think of one woman in particular. Iga Świątek had one of the most dominant seasons we’ve seen in this century. With a W/L record of 67-9, she won two grand slams, eight titles, and also accumulated a 37 match win streak. Her rise to dominance was arguably the defining factor of the WTA 2022 season. Firstly, because she’s only 21 years old. Secondly, many were wondering what the top of the women’s game would look like when Ash Barty (another very dominant #1) announced her retirement earlier this year, after winning the Australian Open. Iga rose to the occasion and took the throne by force, but what is it that makes her such a consistent and dominant #1 in an era of WTA that has been defined by erratic results?
When we first saw the Polish teenager make a big impact on the tour, she was just 19 years old. Very few people knew her name, but she announced her arrival when she defeated two-time grand slam champion, Simona Halep (6-1, 6-2). Simona is one of the best clay court players of our time. The thrashing that the Pole gave her set off alarm bells for the rest of the field. Her movement was impeccable on the red clay. She could slide like a seasoned veteran, matching Simona’s defensive abilities. Her serve was bigger than the Romanian’s and she knew when to amp up the aggression. Iga went on to win her first grand slam without dropping a set and became the youngest Roland Garros champion since Rafa Nadal. She also became the first woman to win Roland Garros without dropping a set since Justin Henin did it in 2007. Iga had arrived.
What stood out most in that miraculous 2020 Roland Garros title run was the heaviness of Iga’s ball. Even as a 19 year old newcomer, the heaviness of her forehand was something we’d simply never seen on the women’s tour. Her forehand stroke-production is similar to that of her idol - the great Rafa Nadal. Iga’s grip is a bit more western, but the arm action she gets with that shot is the foundation for her game and what sets her apart from her peers. She’s able to swing harder than her flat-hitting counterparts while making fewer errors. Similarly to Rafa, her ball jumps out at her opponents and leaves them with two options - take the ball early or get pushed back behind the baseline. Świątek’s backhand is also no joke. While it doesn’t have the heaviness that her forehand does, it’s her steadier shot. Her backhand grip is more traditional and the swing is compact. There’s less that can go wrong with her backhand and it’s impossible to rush her on that wing. Although it’s a shot known for its stability, she’s still able to rip winners with it. Her backhand down the line is one of her money shots, without question.
Świątek’s defense is arguably the best in the world right now. She’s able to slide on both clay and hard courts and can chase down almost anything sent her way. Her stamina and agility are placed in an elite category reserved in my mind for the likes of Simona Halep, Elina Svitolina, Angelique Kerber, and Caroline Wozniacki. But while these are obviously some of the best counterpunchers we’ve seen in the last decade, Iga has the offensive prowess to back it up. Her serve is not among the fastest on tour, but it’s effective and there for her in the big moments. Her second serve is the only area of her game that one could say she has a lot of room for improvement. As far as her return, Świątek possesses some of the most intelligent and natural returning skills I’ve ever seen. Her return is Djokovic like - she’s able to consistently return massive first serves deep in the court and neutralize them right away. She attacks second serves with both power and smart placement. Add all this into the equation and you’re left with a dominant world #1 with no major weakness.
Many have been quick to point out that this era of women’s tennis has been one of the weaker ones in recent memory; it’s unfair to let that taint Iga’s success. As 22-time grand slam doubles champion, Pam Shriver, said earlier this year, “Iga’s played everybody they’ve put in front of her, which is all she can do.” Plainly put, you cannot take anything away from her accomplishments for factors that are out of her control.
She did not get the opportunity to play Serena, Venus, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin, of Steffi Graf in their prime. The only measuring stick we have are the results she’s given us, which hold a notable resemblance to those of some of the greats I listed above. Iga won 47 hard court matches in 2022, which is the 6th most hard court wins in the past 22 years (Kim Clijsters had 59 wins in 2003 & 51 in 2005. Agniezka Radwańska had 52 wins in 2013. Jelena Janković had 50 wins in 2008. Lindsay Davenport had 49 wins in 2001). Iga’s 2022 season is one of the best in this century. Serena Williams has 5 of those seasons (2002, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015), with each season having at least two grand slam titles (she won 3 grand slams per season in both 2002 and 2015). Venus Williams also had 2 of the best seasons in 2000 and 2001, where she won two grand slams in each season. In her 2000 season, she lost 4 matches in total. Justine Henin’s 2007 season was also noteworthy, winning two grand slams and finishing the year with a W/L record of 63-4. In more recent memory, Angie Kerber’s 2016 season was a standout. She won two grand slams, beating Serena in the final of one of them, and had a W/L record of 63-20. Before Iga’s dominant 2022, Angie Kerber was the last woman to win two grand slams in one season.
And that brings us to our current world #1. Eight titles, US Open & Roland Garros champion, and a W/L record of 67-9. The numbers are staggering. She may not have been able to play the greats in their prime, but she is rightfully being measured next to them for one reason - her achievements thus far have been eerily similar to those of the greatest players in modern history.