TennisRatio.com got an opportunity to take part in the pre-event press conference of Iga Swiatek before her start in Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Here are the thoughts of 5 times Grand Slam champion about the role of the kick-off tournament in whole the clay campaign, and the hopes and room for improvements on her most succesful surface.
TennisRatio: Once again, you're starting your clay-court campaign in Stuttgart, which in each of the past three years has marked the beginning of a successful stretch for you on this surface, often followed by great results at other major clay events. What role does the Stuttgart tournament play for you in terms of getting off to a strong start on clay and building confidence ahead of the upcoming challenges?
Iga Swiatek: To be honest, it’s not like one tournament can make me feel amazing in the next one, or that this event has some huge impact on what happens later in the season - especially since the clay here is completely different. In Madrid, for example, we play at altitude, and later on, we’re not playing indoors like we are here. This surface is definitely a good transition between hard courts and clay - it’s a bit faster, and you can structure your game more tactically than on hard - but I doubt it translates directly to other tournaments. Each tournament is its own story, and every event is a fresh start. Even though all the top players are among the highest seeds, anyone can win.
TennisRatio: What goals are you setting for this clay season? Obviously, not just in terms of results - because given the success you've had in past seasons, you’re clearly aiming high - but goals that could lead to those results. Things like refining specific aspects of your tennis craft or your approach to particular on-court situations. Are there small goals you’ve set for yourself over these next few weeks that, regardless of match outcomes, you’d like to accomplish?
Iga Swiatek: Absolutely - these are things we work on daily in training. There are a few technical elements we’ve been trying out during practice, and I hope we’ll be able to bring them into matches as well. Obviously, it's a bit different under match pressure and stress - so that will definitely be one of my goals. Besides that, you definitely need to adjust your mindset on clay. You need more patience, and sometimes you have to finish points at the net, because you won’t always be able to end them with just an aggressive shot. The surface is slower, and opponents will definitely have more chances to chase down balls. So that’s what I’ll focus on in the first week - and then we’ll see how the tournaments unfold and how I’m feeling as things go on.
