Just weeks ago, on October 10, Iga Swiatek faced a tough quarterfinal exit against Jasmine Paolini. She lost the match 6–1, 6–2 at the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open in just a little over an hour in what was also her first defeat to Paolini in 6 matches. However, now Swiatek is gearing up for a comeback in the 2025 WTA Finals, which is set to unfold on November 1. As the season finale approaches, the Czech-American tennis legend Martina Navratilova has shared her thoughts on Swiatek’s prospects in Saudi Arabia.

In her analysis of all 8 finalists, Navratilova said of Swiatek, “I feel like she’s a bit of an enigma this year based on the standards she set in recent seasons. She didn’t win the one everyone thought she would at Roland Garros, then she turned around and won the one no one expected her to win. Maybe the pressure was off, and she said, ‘I’m just going to go for it.’”

At the start of the season no one could have predicted Swiatek would crash out of Roland Garros, her most dominant Grand Slam, only to win Wimbledon, her weakest. “She’s been a bit up and down, but she won Wimbledon in an amazing way. She flattened out her shots and didn’t worry about missing here and there. That’s the kind of aggressive approach she needs to bring to Riyadh. That should give her some confidence,” continued Navratilova, advocating for a bolder approach from Swiatek in Riyadh.

The Polish star’s journey to the 2025 WTA Finals has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. While the recent defeat in Wuhan stung, it might also have made Swiatek even more determined to make her comeback in Riyadh. Already qualified, Swiatek knows the stakes are higher than ever.

Since April 2022, Iga Swiatek has ruled the WTA rankings. However, in October 2024, as Swiatek faced a few setbacks, including a coaching change, Aryna Sabalenka secured the top spot and has yet to relinquish her hold. And now, as the clock ticks towards unraveling the WTA Finals show in Riyadh this November, Swiatek has the opportunity to end her season on a high. While Swiatek failed to impress her fans in her last match in the Wuhan Open, it appears that the star was already struggling with a few issues.

Will Iga Swiatek’s rising confidence be the reason behind a WTA Finals comeback?

Recently, Iga Swiatek’s coach, Wim Fisette, sat down with the ‘The Inside-In Tennis Podcast’ and reflected on how they prepared before Wimbledon, where the Polish phenom managed to win with a scoreline that hadn’t been seen since 1911, an iconic 6-0, 6-0 win. Fisette shared, “We had like a week of training in Mallorca, which was really nice, like just combining the work but also some relaxation. And then the preparation tournament in Bad Homburg, and actually, I felt she was playing very well.”

Reflecting further on what the coach believes made such a win possible for his charge, the Belgian coach added, “I felt like she had no belief or no confidence on the surface before, but that confidence and belief was growing day by day. And you know, if a player like Iga can grow her confidence day by day, like, there’s a lot possible.”

If Swiatek could bounce back after her surprising semifinal exit at Roland Garros after dominating for years, with that performance on her weakest surface, it bodes well for Riyadh. Now, as she again waits to make her return to the WTA Finals, it will be the same confidence that tennis enthusiasts will wait to witness live, yet again.