Seven-time major winner John McEnroe has weighed in on the debate around Iga Swiatek’s surprise quarter-final loss at the US Open, arguing her comparatively weak defence is holding her back in key matches.
Swiatek has an iron grip on the world No. 1 ranking thanks to her consistency at the top level of the women’s game, but with the French Open aside, she is often vulnerable in Grand Slams.
Third-round exits at the Australian Open and Wimbledon earlier this year bookended victory at Roland-Garros, and were followed by an error-strewn, straight-sets defeat to eventual finalist Jessica Pegula at the US Open.
Swiatek’s all-out attacking style and heavy top-spin forehand are incredibly effective in the majority of her matches, but the Pole has at times appeared to struggle to change her game style when her favoured approach has not worked.
“One issue for me is she doesn’t want to play defence at all,” McEnroe said. “At times, she should pull back when the offence isn’t going as well as it can do on clay.
“She keeps trying to hit out, which is somewhat surprising for someone who prefers a slower surface.
“I was a little surprised that she was either unwilling or unable to make adjustments on the faster surfaces.”
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A five-time Grand Slam champion at just 23, four of those titles have come at Roland-Garros – including this year – and one at Flushing Meadows in 2022.
Over her career, Swiatek has actually won more titles on hard courts than on her preferred surface of clay, but has also proved to be beatable on the biggest stages at the four major tournaments.
“I don’t know if she had a dip in confidence, but if you saw someone like Iga digging in and defending as well as she attacks, that would be hard for opponents to overcome,” McEnroe added.
“I’m a little surprised she has not made that adjustment, but she is young. Hopefully, she can make that adjustment and improve a little at the net.”
The US Open traditionally sees plenty of upsets and shock exits thanks to its position on the calendar, near the end of a long and draining season.
This year, that was magnified, with McEnroe amongst the commentators to suggest the addition of the Olympics to the already packed schedule had affected some players, coupled with the difficult transition between playing surfaces.
The Paris Olympics were played on the Roland-Garros clay, right after Wimbledon (contested on grass) and before the American hard-court swing.
Olympic men’s finalists Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz both lost in the early stages in New York, while women’s bronze medallist Swiatek exited in the quarter-finals. Both eventual US Open champions, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, did not play at the Olympics.
“You can see that all the players who were at the Olympics are struggling physically and mentally,” McEnroe said. “It’s tough to go from clay to grass, back to clay for the Olympics and then straight onto the hard courts. That’s not easy.
“You look at all the guys that won the medals at the Olympics, and they lost early at the US Open, especially in the men’s draw. You look at Jessica Pegula not playing the Olympics [she lost in the second round in both singles and doubles] and she got on a roll on the hard courts, but it was tough for Iga.
“On the flip side, Swiatek’s loss in New York may have given the World No. 1 a much-needed pause for thought and a short break from the intensity of competing after a particularly long and emotional summer.
The tennis calendar is constantly expanding and the demands on players ever-increasing, with a set number of compulsory tournaments per year.
Swiatek’s consistency at the top and success at the sharp end of most tournaments adds to the burden, as she has more ranking points to defend.
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“I’m not close enough to her to know what she needs to do,” McEnroe added. “We know she’s a great player, but she has spoken about scheduling being an issue.
“I don’t know if she needs to play some events due to sponsors, but maybe she needs to take a step back at some point and appreciate what she has done.
“She should realise she’s had an amazing career and she will get better. She is still young. She is going to be around for many years and she has a lot to be proud about.”
Swiatek is unlikely to get a sustained break until November, following her decision to play the upcoming Asian hard-court swing. Following tournaments in China and Japan in October, she will hope to defend her title at the traditional season-closing event, the WTA Finals, the following month.