For the first time in over a year Iga Swiatek is heading into a Grand Slam in top form and full of confidence.
The 23-year-old had endured a frustrating season in which she lost at the French Open for the first time since 2021.
The Pole also went through an entire year without winning a title, but that changed at the Wimbledon Championships.
Swiatek triumphed at the All England Club after thrashing Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 and she has not looked back.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty ImagesMats Wilander thinks Iga Swiatek is now looking more positive during her matches
Iga Swiatek spent over two years dominating the WTA Tour between 2022 and the first half of 2024.
But she began to struggle both on and off court as she did not claim any titles between June 2024 and July 2025.
Swiatek looked a shadow of her former self at times, but a change of coach and new approach to her game revitalised the world number two and she is now a Wimbledon champion.
Ahead of the US Open, Mats Wilander thinks the change that resulted in her improved results was toning down her aggression on court.
“I think Iga is more positive when it comes to her appearance on the court,” Wilander told TNT Sports. “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.”
Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty ImagesMats Wilander thinks Iga Swiatek is adapting her clay court game to other surfaces
Swiatek has achieved plenty of success on clay, but she struggled on grass and quicker hard courts.
Prior to this season, Swiatek had reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon just once, and she had not won the Cincinnati Open.
A month after winning Wimbledon, Swiatek defeated Jasmine Paolini to triumph in Ohio, and she is one of the favourites to claim the US Open.
As he continued to analyse her game, Wilander thinks Swiatek has taken what worked for her on clay and adapted it to achieve success on quicker courts over the last months.
“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,” Wilander explained.
“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.”