Rennae Stubbs, former world No. 1 in doubles, hasn’t held back in her critique of Iga Swiatek’s serving technique, calling it a glaring vulnerability in an otherwise powerhouse game. Despite Swiatek’s dominance from the baseline and her exceptional court coverage, Stubbs insists the Pole’s serve remains underwhelming for a player of her calibre and stature.
Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion and currently ranked No. 2 in the world, has long been celebrated for her explosive groundstrokes and tactical movement. Yet, the serve—an essential part of modern tennis weaponry—continues to lag behind in effectiveness when measured against her other skills. After teaming up with respected coach Wim Fissette last October, Swiatek openly acknowledged her serve as a work in progress.
Asked during the WTA Finals in Riyadh about her development priorities under Fissette’s guidance, Swiatek didn’t hesitate: “I think it’s kind of obvious. I for sure want to improve my serve, as I’ve been doing for past years. I feel like I still need to continue that. For sure I’m not a complete player.”
Statistically, her numbers reflect that gap. Among WTA players with at least 10 matches in 2025, Swiatek is ninth in both service points won (61.2%) and second serve points won (50.1%), while she holds sixth place for service games won at 76.4%. However, her ranking drops to 21st in first-serve points won, where she manages just 67.1%—an underwhelming figure for someone in the world’s top two.
Stubbs took a deep dive into the mechanics of Swiatek’s serve on her podcast, highlighting what she views as fundamental flaws that limit its effectiveness and consistency.
“This is my thing about Iga and it has been for a while. She is 5ft 10, 5ft 11 (editor’s note: Swiatek is 5ft 9). She should have a much better serve,” said the six-time Grand Slam doubles titlist.
“I absolutely hate her service motion. It is so discombobulated. It’s like she takes the arm there, then the foot comes way too much to the front of her body.
“She should be way more side on. She should have a lot more wrist snap. Her serve has not developed at all and it’s so predictable.”
Stubbs went on to point out how Swiatek’s flawed technique is translating into a strategic disadvantage, especially in tight match scenarios where holding serve is critical. The lack of variation on her second delivery, Stubbs suggested, is becoming a target for returners.
“Where she is getting hurt in matches now is that she is getting broken a lot and I think the predictability of her second serve is where it hurts her.
“She hits the same one over and over and she kind of refuses to change it up. I think it is very hard for her to change it up because of her motion and because it is so discombobulated.
“She has like three hitches, she is very front on, her ball toss is way too far to the right. There is a lot of things she could improve to get a better serve and get more free points on her serve and become more of a weapon.”
Despite the harsh breakdown, Stubbs’ commentary seems to come from a place of constructive concern—recognizing Swiatek’s tremendous potential while urging refinement in an area that could elevate her from dominant to untouchable. If the Pole can streamline her service motion and introduce more variety, she may finally stitch that last patch onto an otherwise complete game.