Iga Swiatek’s forehand has done magic on-court. Unlike Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka, Swiatek’s unique forehand skills resemble those of Coco Gauff. But, when asked about her special technique, Swiatek warned her fans about one of the arguably toughest grips that exists in tennis.

Recently, the YouTube channel ON released an episode named, Beyond Number One, featuring Iga Swiatek. “One of the talents that make Iga so unique is the way she holds the racquet,” said the host in the video. While describing her forehand skills, World No. 1 stated, “The Western grip is when you’re holding a racquet like that,” showing her hand movements while hitting the racquet. Swiatek, who doesn’t consider this to be “natural” further explained the technique while holding a cinnamon container in the kitchen during the episode. 

“Somehow it works, and you can really put a lot of spins when you hit like that. At least when you know how to play, you know? Don’t try it at home, though,” the 22-year-old Polish star warned the fans. The 21-singles title winner has mastered an extremely uncommon grip when it comes to her forehand. It is more often seen in ATP players like Karen Khachanov and Jack Sock. 

And when it comes to WTA, a similar technique is utilized by Coco Gauff, who also has a western grip along with a large swing on her forehand. However, lately, her forehand skills have been under scrutiny due to the inconsistencies in her games. On the other hand, the other two top players, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, have an eastern grip and are flat hitters.

However, the Madrid Open winner uses the Western grip technique to have an offensive baseline game.  But at the same time, enough power from the opponent can sometimes break these aggressive tactics, ultimately leading to errors. Not only that, holding the racquet under the end of the grip can make the players more susceptible to injuries due to the intense pressure on the wrist. 

It also becomes extremely tough for the player to switch between grips during the game. Therefore, a balance is required to make the shot controlled and at the same time have a strong baseline game. But for Iga Swiatek, her forehand techniques are precious. “That’s how I played from the beginning and I don’t know how it happened but it definitely has super effects,” she further explained.

But sometimes her strengths on-court can also contribute to some troubles in her game. Therefore, Iga Swiatek tries to consistently improve her game, as she herself revealed in an interview.

Iga Swiatek on learning “how to balance” her techniques on-court

Earlier this year, Iga Swiatek openly discussed her analytical strategies on-court. The Qatar Open winner, after playing the Round of 32 in Doha, explained how playing her best tennis is a balancing act. “I have times where I feel, yeah, like, I’m playing sometimes even too aggressively,” Swiatek revealed to the media.“So I’m still learning how to balance that to use all these advantages.”

“Being a great defense player and having this, you know, ability to play high topspin. And the balls that are going to push my opponent further from the baseline. And on the other hand, being able to sometimes go forward and play more flat,”  Swiatek concluded.

Since the World No. 1 is currently celebrating her 104th week at the top, improving her game constantly is her ultimate goal. While she figures out the technicalities as she proceeds in her career, the tennis world is waiting to see her performance reach even greater heights in the future.