Iga Swiatek did it again. On November 1 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, she started her WTA Finals run by crushing Madison Keys 6-1, 6-2 in just 61 minutes. The Wimbledon champion looked confident from the start, firing her signature heavy topspin shots. Keys, playing her first match since the US Open, couldn’t find her rhythm against Swiatek’s pace. The season-ending event features the top eight women in singles and doubles, competing for a $15.5 million prize pool, and Swiatek wasted no time making her statement. After the match, Coco Gauff’s former coach pointed out something intriguing about Swiatek’s game.

From the very first game, Swiatek was locked in. After winning 12 of the first 14 points, Iga Swiatek broke Keys right away with the help of two double faults and quickly jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Her shots landed hard, pushing Keys further behind the baseline, and her court coverage was simply amazing. When the American did manage to hold serve at 5-0, it was too late. T

he first set lasted only 23 minutes, with Keys managing just one winner to 15 unforced errors. Watching from afar, Gauff’s former coach Brad Gilbert took to X, writing, “watching Iga pop rolled through 1st set vs Madison Ave Keys 🎹 looks like she has changed her serv to abbreviated motion.”

Most players drop the racket fully behind their back before swinging up to hit the serve. But Iga Swiatek did something different this time with the abbreviated serve. Her motion looked shorter and quicker, like she was cutting out the extra loop and taking the racket straight from the ready position to the ball. In short, she shortened her serve motion.

It’s big because her serve has always been the one part of her game people talk about the most, and not always in a good way. So when Brad Gilbert, one of tennis’s sharpest eyes, noticed the change, fans immediately paid attention. If Gilbert says something’s different, it usually is. And it’s not the first time he’s seen something like this.

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Last year, he pointed out the same thing when Rafael Nadal returned to play in Barcelona after hip surgery. Gilbert observed that Nadal’s serve looked “abbreviated” too, a tweak meant to protect his body after surgery. Funny enough, Swiatek has always said Nadal is her biggest inspiration. So maybe she’s taking a little lesson from her hero. Gilbert’s comment got everyone wondering the same thing: has Swiatek quietly added another new weapon to her game?

If she did, it worked. Because the second set followed the same pattern. The pair traded early breaks, but another double fault from Keys handed Swiatek control once more. From there, she closed it out, winning five of the last six games to seal victory in just over an hour. Keys, who lifted her first major title in January, looked out of sorts in her first WTA Finals appearance since 2016. Swiatek, on the other hand, looked every bit the composed champion she’s become. After the game, when Swiatek was asked what pleased her most, she smiled and told the crowd, “Everything. All the things I have practised, I got it together today to play with the right balance between playing solid and aggressive.”

She further added about her performance, “Kind of (happy) with everything…Mostly my serve and overall focus. I was in the zone from the beginning to the end, and I really wanted to keep it that way.” It’s something she’s long been aware of, a part of her game she’s been determined to improve for years.

Perfection has a flaw, and Iga Swiatek knows exactly where it is

Iga Swiatek has done just about everything right in tennis. She is fierce, calm, and almost flawless. However, one aspect of her game has been difficult to overlook, even for someone of her caliber: “the serve.” Even former doubles world No. 1 Rennae Stubbs hasn’t held back when discussing it, and it has become a common topic of discussion among fans and analysts. Stubbs has openly criticized Swiatek’s motion, calling it awkward and overly mechanical for a player of her height and power.

“She is 5ft 10, 5ft 11. She should have a much better serve,” she said, on her podcast earlier this year, calling Swiatek’s motion “discombobulated.” According to Stubbs, the arm and foot placement are off, she isn’t side-on enough, and there’s too little wrist snap. “Her serve hasn’t developed at all,” she added. “It’s so predictable.” Swiatek herself has never denied it.

After hiring top coach Wim Fissette in October 2024, Iga Swiatek openly admitted that improving her serve remains a priority. “I for sure want to improve my serve, as I’ve been doing for past years… For sure I’m not a complete player,” she said earlier this season. Statistically, the story backs that up. Among players who have played at least ten WTA Tour matches in 2025, Swiatek ranks ninth for service points won (61.2%) and sixth for service games won (76.4%).

But she drops to 21st in first-serve points won (67.1%), while sitting ninth for second-serve points won (50.1%). For a champion who has mastered almost every other part of the game, it’s a rare weak spot. And if Swiatek’s track record is anything to go by, the serve that everyone used to talk about has become the weapon that silences the debate tomorrow.