French Open 2023: Iga Swiatek's forehand compared to men's star - 'Wow, that is a surprise'

Iga Swiatek’s use of the forehand has been compared to that of Casper Ruud after the two stars averaged the same speed for the shot at the 2023 French Open on Thursday.

In analysing Swiatek’s 6-4 6-0 second-round victory over Claire Liu on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Eurosport’s Barbara Schett made the observation in The Cube that Swiatek’s average speed with the forehand was 129km an hour in the first set, matching Ruud in his win over Giulio Zeppieri.

“Wow, that is absolutely a surprise to me,” remarked former Roland-Garros winner Mats Wilander.

“I mean, Casper hits with a little bit more spin, I would think.”

In total, Swiatek made 24 winners, doubling Liu's 12.

Explaining the reason why Swiatek is using more intensity in her shots, Wilander said: “I think it's because they're pushing her. I mean, [Elena] Rybakina, [Jessica] Pegula, [Aryna] Sabalenka, they're pushing her and she doesn't want to be pushed around. Nobody does.

"Novak Djokovic hit his forehand harder in the Australian Open than he’s ever done before. [Rafael] Nadal hits it with less spin the older he gets.

“So, I think it's a natural trajectory that I really like. She's going to have some tough matches because she makes too many mistakes compared to the past, but I think it's going to make her feel more calm against the best players in the world.”

Swiatek allowed a double-break lead at 3-0 in the first set to disappear as Liu pulled back to level at 3-3 as mistakes crept into the Pole’s game. But Wilander stressed that dropping points is only natural when she is playing with more aggression.

“I think she's doing the right thing, you push a little bit harder because it can be easier with your energy if you start hitting harder, you hit more winners, you can get some more confidence," said Wilander.

“I really think that, yes, she does rush sometimes these days – maybe more so than in the past – but isn't it because all the players have decided that ‘okay, the only chance I have is I’ve got to come forwards, I’ve got to hit the ball hard, take it early, otherwise I'm not beating Iga Swiatek’?

“So I think she's trying to counter that with being maybe slightly more aggressive herself, so she doesn't have to have that awful feeling when you are dictated to.”

Despite another convincing win as she continues her Roland-Garros title defence, Eurosport expert Tim Henman feels that Swiatek can improve on serve.

"Swiatek’s serve today, I don't think it was particularly good, it wasn't particularly effective because it wasn't particularly accurate,” pointed out Henman.

Swiatek’s serve, being struck too centrally, is “giving the opportunity for her opponents to attack”, Henman added.

“When you're hitting the corner, you're much more likely to get a defensive reply that then you can attack on it,” he said.

“That’s definitely an area that Swiatek will be looking at in the analysis.”

For example, on Swiatek’s first serve during the win over Liu, the Polish star won 60 per cent of the points against Clare, compared to the 79 per cent that Rybakina averages.

Alex Corretja, however, felt that this was an unfair comparison.

“Rybakina bases her game basically on her service, so it's totally different,” said Corretja.

“She's a big server, while Iga, I think she served well, but she's not depending on her serve, so it's a totally different game and style.

“Usually, Iga tries to put the serve in and then she hits with the forehand or the backhand and the foot work, while Rybakina, I mean, for her it’s so important to have a nice big serve because she’s taller, she doesn't move as fast as Iga.

“So I don't think the comparison is fair, in a way, to Iga.”

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