Entrenched at world No.1 and undefeated in singles since September, Iga Swiatek arrives at Melbourne Park seeking an increasingly rare missing piece of silverware.
The Australian Open semifinalist in 2022 would love nothing more than an AO title to sit alongside her trophies from Roland Garros and the US Open.
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The No.1 seed at Australian Open 2024, she will target a fifth major title when main-draw action kicks off on Sunday.
We examine why she might go all the way.
She’s a winning machine …
Swiatek became famous in 2022 for her 37-match winning streak, the longest unbeaten run in women’s tennis since Martina Hingis in 1997.
But she’s also quietly built a 16-match winning streak this month, having not lost since September’s tournament in Tokyo.
In three subsequent events, she won the WTA 1000 title in Beijing, the WTA Finals in Cancun, and went unbeaten in five matches at the United Cup.
It’s also the manner of the victories that is notable – she is barely losing sets.
She has won 32 of the 34 she has played in that span, with the only player to win a set being Caroline Garcia (in both Beijing and Sydney).
Of those 32 sets won, Swiatek has posted 13 scores of either 6-1 or 6-0.
… and especially at Grand Slams
Swiatek has now won four majors; of active players, she trails only Venus Williams (who owns seven major trophies) and is equal with Naomi Osaka.
Especially dominant on clay, with three triumphs at Roland Garros, Swiatek showcased her hard-court credentials with her 2022 US Open victory.
She completed her Grand Slam quarterfinal set with her trip to the last eight at Wimbledon in 2023, proving she’s an increasing threat for all majors, regardless of the surface.
Of the seven occasions she’s reached the quarterfinal stage at a major, she’s gone on to win more than half of those.
Her career win-loss record in Grand Slam play is 68-15 – an impressive 82 per cent winning rate.
She plays well with pressure
At both the Australian and US Opens in 2023, Swiatek referenced the difficulties she encountered playing with a target on her back after 2022.
She nevertheless reached the second week at both, and it took a supremely gifted ball striker – Elena Rybakina in Melbourne, Jelena Ostapenko in New York – to hit through her.
“She was overwhelmed at the start of (2023). I know that after the Australian Open, after she lost, I had a conversation with her,” Rennae Stubbs recounted on a recent episode of her eponymous podcast.
“I think she was so worried about all of the points she had to defend, and (thinking) ‘how am I going to win 37 matches in a row again and how am I going to have that year again?’
“I think she learned a lot about herself in 2023: ‘I might not have the greatest run again and win all these tournaments again like I did last year, and I didn’t die. So I’m gonna be OK.
“I don’t need to panic if I don’t win everything.”
Even with that pressure, Swiatek did a lot of winning, and snatched back the No.1 ranking she lost after the US Open.
When you compare her 2022 and 2023 seasons, she won almost as many titles last year (six, versus eight) and actually won more matches (68, versus 67).
Not a bad campaign.
She’s ready for the challenge
Season 2024 could be even better, given Swiatek refuses to remain stagnant and is always looking for that extra edge.
Following the US Open, she experimented tactically, exploring how her game would fare in ‘lockdown mode’ against a big hitter and rewarded for her scant unforced error count with the Beijing and WTA Finals titles.
Emerging in 2024 with technical changes to her serve, her streamlined delivery contributed to a succession of dominant performances at the United Cup.
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Swiatek knows that her biggest rivals, Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka, are ever-improving and snapping at her heels. These changes reflect that desire to improve to keep them at bay – and maintain her alpha status in the women’s game.
“It's all about being the best player that she can be at the end of the day, amassing as many Slams as possible. And so she's absolutely willing to deconstruct a shot … she's so much bigger-picture,” observed Sam Smith on The AO Show podcast.
“It's been a long time I think since we've had a champion of that kind of mentality.”
She does things her way
An enduring image of the 2023 season was Swiatek in a bold red dress at the WTA Finals pre-event photo shoot in Cancun.
Told of the switch to a preferred all-white dress code but having selected the dress weeks earlier, she forged ahead with wearing it – and was a striking presence amid a line of white-clad rivals.
She went on to win the tournament without dropping a set.
It might seem like a small thing, but it symbolised how she marches admirably to the beat of her own drum.
She’s not afraid to dabble in unconventional training methods or warm-ups, or recharge during her off-season with Lego and books while her rivals holiday in glamorous global locations.
It’s this quietly-confident, steely mentality that could serve her well when she goes for glory at Australian Open 2024.