Iga Swiatek has excelled on almost every surface. While her performance speaks for itself, Swiatek can suffer from a lack of form, especially when she has to change surfaces within days. Swiatek’s bronze in the Paris Olympics could’ve have boosted her momentum, but ahead of Cincinnati, she is wary of the transition. Walking on Coco Gauff‘s path as an alternative, is Swiatek prepping for something big for the US Open?

Swiatek’s concern remained in the hectic scheduling. Given that she played on clay in the Olympics and then returned to the hard surface for Cincinnati, it has been very challenging for her to remain injury-free and also perform well. “Our calendar is crazy, probably the toughest one in sports,” Swiatek said.

In a pre-tournament presser in Cincinnati, she further said, “After the Olympics, I felt like I needed to reset, to focus on getting my technique back together, just grinding on court. Here is the perfect place to do it. It feels less crazy. But the first tournament on a hard court isn’t going to be easy. I’m going to try to treat it as a practice tournament — not in a way that I don’t care, but more in a way that I can implement all the stuff I’ve practiced. I think that’s the best approach for me.” This Polish tennis star’s statement about the Cincinnati Open echoed Coco Gauff’s revelations about her participation in the Canadian Open.  

Ahead of her Toronto campaign, Gauff said, “I have no expectations for this week. I mean I’m not going into this expecting to win. It would be great, that’s the goal, But being realistic, I was on clay three days ago, so I’m just trying to use this to see where I’m at and get ready for the US Open.”

Despite keeping low expectations for Cincinnati, Swiatek delves deeper into her strategy for the hard courts. While this surface isn’t her forte, she has previously shown her skill by winning the US Open in 2022.

Iga Swiatek is “trying to be a better player“ on the hard surface before the US Open

In the Cincinnati Open press conference, Swiatek said, “I’m trying to be a better player on faster courts. Doing everything step by step has always worked for me, so I’m going to try to repeat that attitude again.” Swiatek might have low expectations, but she isn’t lacking in confidence.

“We’re taking it easy, doing everything step by step, For sure, it’s not going to be perfect from the beginning but I had a couple days to really get used to the surface, so I’m trying to do the best job possible every day and entering the court next day knowing I can do something better,“ she concluded.

Swiatek’s statement shows the real problems tennis stars face. While shifting from one surface to another is challenging, Swiatek believes she can do it, given the dedication and effort she puts into her work.