Serena Williams once controlled the schedule like no other player, coming in and out as she saw fit.
That’s quite a performance for the 23-time Grand Slam champion, who is at the top of her game at major tournaments.
Iga Swiatek plans to follow Serena’s lead in 2026 and simplify her schedule.
After losing 7-5, 6-1 to Elena Rybakina, Swiatek spoke about the fact that she felt a little immature in Australia because she didn’t have time to perfect some of the changes she made to her game, especially on her serve.
“I had a hard time making that decision last year, but I’m trying to change my approach this year. So I think we’re definitely going to skip about 1,000 games,” Swiatek said.
The Pole said she wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but wanted to give it a try in order to improve her game.
“I’ve never been in this position, so I don’t know what the outcome is going to be, but I think it’s necessary because if you want to improve your game, unless I want to stay the same…” she said.
“I’m going to play well, but if I want to improve something, it’s better to have some time. Unfortunately, the calendar doesn’t give me that time.”
Swiatek was asked what she wanted to improve and she talked about her serve being a work in progress, which held her back during her Australian Open.
“There were some technical things that were hard for me to get through,” she said. “I saw Carlos [Alcaraz]For example, the serve is changed every year. For me, a small thing takes longer.
“There are things on serving that I want to change that I changed in pre-season, but once the match comes you don’t have a lot of time to think about it. When you play, you don’t want to think about those details.
“This year we didn’t quite accomplish the things we wanted to change in the preseason. It just took a little longer for me to change some things. So this year I felt like I still needed to work on it during the tournament, and that’s why maybe, I don’t know, I felt like I was playing a little bit worse.”
