What's Changed For 'surprise' Wimbledon Finalist Swiatek?

Few would person predicted Iga Swiatek's champion Grand Slam consequence truthful acold this play would travel astatine Wimbledon.

Even nan eighth seed is "surprised" she has reached nan final.

Swiatek, 24, became known arsenic nan 'Queen of Clay' aft winning 4 French Open titles successful 5 years, while her two-year reign arsenic nan world number 1 - ended by Aryna Sabalenka past twelvemonth - was underpinned by accordant occurrence connected nan difficult courts.

Grass was nan outlier. But nan communicative that Swiatek cannot play connected nan aboveground - contempt having won a inferior Wimbledon title successful 2018 - has now been smashed aft she reached nan SW19 final.

"I'm not going to opportunity I wouldn't judge [I could scope nan Wimbledon final] because I benignant of judge and I cognize successful tennis a batch tin happen," Swiatek said.

"But I conjecture I would person thought I would request to do a batch to beryllium successful this spot and study a lot."

So really has Poland's Swiatek discovered herself connected nan Wimbledon grass?

What makes nan tally moreover much astonishing is Swiatek has been obscurity adjacent her ascendant champion complete nan past year.

She did not scope a last for a twelvemonth aft her 2024 French Open triumph, slipping to eighth successful nan world - her lowest ranking since March 2022 - arsenic a result.

There were a substance of reasons - connected and disconnected nan tribunal - arsenic to why Swiatek's level has dipped.

Losing successful nan Olympics semi-finals successful Paris past summertime was a bitter blow, pinch Swiatek saying she cried for "six hours" afterwards.

In November came a bigger bombshell - Swiatek had grounded a doping test.

It was announced she had tested affirmative for bosom medicine trimetazidine (TMZ) successful an out-of-competition sample. She was subsequently fixed a one-month prohibition aft nan International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted nan consequence was caused by contamination.

More issues cropped up astatine nan commencement of this year.

In May, Swiatek told BBC Sport really it was difficult to "accept" having her life turned "upside down", saying she was still looking for "a serene time".

Former world number 9 Andrea Petkovic, now regarded arsenic 1 of nan astir astute existent analysts, saw a "new freshness" erstwhile Swiatek played her first grass-court arena astatine Bad Homburg.

"For astir of this twelvemonth you could consciousness unit and hostility erstwhile she stepped connected court. In Bad Homburg you could spot that was gone," nan German told BBC Sport.

"She is ever going to beryllium a subordinate who is aggravated connected tribunal but location was conscionable a spot much easiness and seamlessness astir her.

"Right away, I made a basking telephone earlier Wimbledon saying she is going to triumph it."

Before this year, Swiatek had only moved into nan 2nd week of Wimbledon once, erstwhile she reached nan 2023 quarter-finals.

After a daze third-round conclusion by Yulia Putintseva past year, Swiatek said she had not fixed herself capable clip to mentally retrieve from her French Open win.

This year, having mislaid to Sabalenka successful nan Roland Garros semi-finals, she went to Mallorca for a week's training connected writer earlier returning to competitory action successful Bad Homburg.

Swiatek reached nan last astatine nan WTA 500 event, wherever a conclusion by Jessica Pegula near her successful tears, but it was an denotation that her level connected nan aboveground had improved.

"I consciousness for illustration I person developed arsenic a subordinate and I had clip to practise a small spot much [this year]," said Swiatek.

"I would opportunity we chiefly focused connected my activity and really I should extremity earlier hitting nan ball.

"Also, [we worked] connected accelerated hands because evidently it's important present not to extremity nan movement, moreover though nan shot sometimes is fast."

Swiatek decided to move coach astatine nan extremity of past year, replacing Tomasz Wiktorowski pinch Wim Fissette, and it has taken clip for nan tweaks she was making to furniture in.

Swiatek's service is an area which Fissette has focused on.

The Pole has won 78% of her first-serve points astatine Wimbledon - nan associated 2nd highest successful nan women's singles.

"When you make a large alteration and prosecute a caller coach, it takes a while to spot nan changes," said Petkovic.

"You consciousness well, you consciousness you're progressing and you're expecting to spot results correct away. But it doesn't hap correct away.

"I deliberation she sewage a spot hectic astatine nan commencement of nan season. Now thing is different and she has a spot much patience pinch herself.

"I deliberation she's besides forgiving herself a spot much if she makes a fewer unforced errors connected nan grass."

Swiatek's top-spin forehand has been basal to her occurrence astatine nan French Open, but does not regularly person nan aforesaid effect astatine Wimbledon.

The little bounce of nan usually slicker writer has antecedently taken distant nan clip she likes to group up her slayer shot, which bounces higher connected nan clay and goes retired of her opponent's onslaught zone.

But nan warmer conditions astatine this Wimbledon fortnight look to person helped her.

The firmer courts mean Swiatek tin besides return nan shot higher astatine interaction point, which she prefers and allows her to make much top-spin.

Agnieszka Radwanska, who reached nan Wimbledon last successful 2012, feels an diversion clay-courter for illustration Swiatek could besides beryllium benefitting from nan SW19 writer losing tribunal speed.

"The writer is overmuch slower and I consciousness it is getting slower and slower," said Radwanska.

"When nan somesthesia is complete 30 degrees, nan courts are not slippery and nan shot stops connected nan grass. It is overmuch slower and overmuch harder to decorativeness nan point.

"You person to beryllium much patient. You're not winning nan rally successful 2 aliases 3 shots, it is much for illustration 4 aliases 5 shots - it is simply a different crippled to before.

"Clay-court players who person much clip to hole during nan rally are loving it."