Iga Swiatek didn’t have her usual preparation for Wimbledon this year, but she came early to London, and she is glad that she did.
Swiatek generally tries to play at least one event before Wimbledon to get a feel for the grass and test herself on the surface. She often doesn’t have extensive preparation because, most of the time, she’s one of the last players to leave Paris due to how well she plays at Roland Garros.
This year was no exception, as she won the clay-court major again, so her preparation for Wimbledon required a slightly different approach. She didn’t play any warm-up WTA tournaments but practiced on the grass in Poland for a while.
Then she came early to London to feel the grass she was going to play on, and she’s glad that she did because the grass in London and the one in Poland are very different.
“It was difficult at the beginning. I’m glad I came early because there’s a big difference between the grass we have in Poland and this one. Day after day, I’ve been gaining rhythm, feeling the ball better.”
In the press conference, she admitted that she could have played a tournament, but with the number of matches she played in the first part of this season, it didn’t make sense for her to push herself.
Practicing this past week in London helped her to find her rhythm, which will be the most important part of trying to succeed at SW19.
“This year we’ve taken it a little differently because of the number of matches I’ve played in the first part of the season. I could have played a tournament before Wimbledon, but I don’t know if I would be able to be in good physical shape until the end of the year. You have to choose the best for the future.”
Despite her obvious struggles on the surface, as the top seed, she’s among the tournament favorites, and even many former players and pundits back her to do well on the low-bouncing grass courts despite her inability to produce good results on the surface.
