Iga Swiatek has rediscovered the spark that once made her an unstoppable force in women’s tennis, and according to Mats Wilander, that renewed mindset could propel her back to the very summit of the game.
The Polish star lifted her first Wimbledon crown last month, a triumph that silenced doubts about her trajectory after a turbulent stretch in which confidence seemed to desert her. Now, with momentum swinging back in her favour, Wilander believes she is poised to chase a seventh career major at the US Open.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion reflected on the journey that brought Swiatek to this point, suggesting that the weight of expectation – compounded by a confidence crisis following her positive doping test late in 2024 – had clouded her outlook. But Wimbledon served as a reset button. That victory, he argued, has been nothing short of a career revival and could set up a renewed battle with Aryna Sabalenka for the No.1 ranking.
“I think Iga is more positive when it comes to her appearance on the court,” said Wilander, who will be analysing the action as part of Eurosport’s coverage in New York. “I like the way that she played at Wimbledon to begin with. I think that she played a little less aggressively. I don’t think you have to be super aggressive all the time to win on either the men’s tour or the women’s tour. I think Iga has found her way again.”
The former world No.1 also praised the adaptability Swiatek has shown in recent weeks. “She’s, to me, playing a little bit more on the other surface, the way that she plays on clay. She’s using the forehand, and sometimes plays it with a lot of top spin. I think she’s taken a step back out of the court. Of course, in Cincinnati, where she won, the courts were playing so fast that you have to be super aggressive. But I think Iga, there is less of a chance that she’s going to lose to a lower-ranked player when she has a better attitude. I think she understands her game on other surfaces, the way that she understands her own game on a clay court.”
For Wilander, the US Open women’s draw will likely be shaped by the same two names that have dominated much of the last 18 months: Swiatek and Sabalenka. When pressed to pick a favourite, he admitted the gap between the pair was virtually impossible to split.
“Now Iga has started to play unbelievably well again and we know what happens when she plays well,” he said. “She’s not afraid of dominating the women’s tour, but you cannot count out Aryna Sabalenka. She’s had some bad luck in the last two Grand Slam finals that she was in, and in the semi-finals against Amanda Anisimova. So, she’s one of the favourites. To me, it’s pretty clear that Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are the two favourites. They’re not afraid of winning. They’re both playing well enough. I think it doesn’t matter what Sabalenka has done in the last couple of weeks. But if they both come healthy to the US Open, I’m expecting the two of them to go through and reach their seeds, which should be in the finals.”
Yet, every major has its twist, and for Wilander, the so-called dark horse barely requires a glance beyond the top three. Coco Gauff, who stunned Sabalenka in the French Open final earlier this year, still looms as a serious contender despite a dip in form since Paris.
“Coco Gauff knows how to win majors and she proved that by beating Aryna Sabalenka in the French Open final, when the conditions were terrible,” he noted. “Again, it shows what guts she has, but if Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka play their best tennis, I just don’t see how Coco Gauff can keep up with them. But then again, are they going to be able to play their best tennis against Gauff because she defends so well? It’s actually a compliment to someone like Coco Gauff, that when she plays, she often makes her opponents play worse. I think that she has to be careful in the earlier rounds, and the later she survives in the tournament, the more of a threat she becomes.”
With New York just around the corner, the stage is set for Swiatek’s redemption arc to continue. Whether she reclaims dominance, Sabalenka asserts her power, or Gauff disrupts the script, the women’s draw is primed for high drama, rivalries rekindled, and possibly another defining chapter in the Pole’s career.