Before the start of the WTA Finals, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka were backed to make it to the summit clash. And Sabalenka even sailed through the round-robin stage to solidify those expectations, even though she later faltered in the semifinals against Coco Gauff. Nonetheless, the Belarusian star had an amazing year as she claimed 2 Grand Slam titles, apart from a few other titles on the Tour. A contrast to her form almost 2 years ago, when she was unable to dig deep to leave her mark on the court. However, through special help from Dr. Piotr Krężałek, Sabalenka turned things around for herself. Will Iga Swiatek also leverage the brains ofv the Polish biomechanics expert to improve her game?

In talks with the Sports.Pl on November 8th, Dr. Piotr Krezalek, from the Academy of Physical Education in Krakow, Poland opened up about the reason behind Sabalenka’s improvement in 2 years from making 20 double faults in a match to serving brilliantly now. He credited the science of biomechanics with the improvements. He said, “Biomechanics are of great importance in every sport. And especially at the highest level, where it’s about tightening a small screw, about adding something extra to a champion-level athlete, about adding a little element that the competition doesn’t have.”

Rightly so, at the highest level, athletes have their basics on tips and just need minor adjustments to reach another level. Moreover, Dr. Krezalek further explained the “tightening of screws” with the help of the famous book, “Atomic Habits” which leveraged Great Britain’s cycling team to highlight how small changes brought far-reaching results. He further added, “There’s the aforementioned coach, who took care of the cycling team in Great Britain and raised its level a lot, thanks to the fact that he started paying attention to details, to trifles that seemed insignificant at first glance, and after adding up gave a great effect – the team improved its quality a lot.”

When we take Swiatek’s season into account, the Pole star had a tough year. She won the Roland Garros title, yet again, but faltered to prove her mettle on any other surface during the Grand Slam. And had to settle for a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. Moreover, the Pole star was unable to find her rhythm back in the 2nd half of the season, which culminated in an early exit from the WTA Finals. How can she regain her dominating form? Dr. Krezalek thinks that his department can be helpful to Swiatek in transforming her game and achieving the next level. He said, “Of course, there would be an opportunity for Iga to use our help.” 

Will Iga Swiatek take up Dr Krezalek’s offer or not is something that the player will have to decide during the off-season, as she gets ready for the 2025 season. However, if we take her performance in the WTA Finals into account, where the Pole star landed herself in a do-or-die situation, Swiatek certainly needs to make a few adjustments to get back on track.

A first time for everything: How did Iga Swiatek feel ahead of a do-or-die match in Riyadh?

It’s unusual for Iga Swiatek to fight for survival at a tournament. However, the former World No.1 found herself in a tough situation at the WTA Finals. Swiatek was unable to breeze through the round-robin stage. The Pole star lost against Coco Gauff in the group stage, and although she beat Barbora Krejcikova, she needed another win to make it to the semifinals of the tournament. Swiatek’s last match was against Daria Kasatkina and it was truly a do-or-die scenario for the former World No. 1.

Narrating her do-or-die dilemma, Swiatek said, “Honestly, this will be the first time I’ve been in this situation. It’s something new, and it’s definitely exciting.” However the circumstances became a roadblock in Swiatek’s journey. She ended up beating Kasatkina, but Coco Gauff couldn’t rise to the occasion against Barbora Krejcikova, as the Czech star defeated her to make her way to the semis.

It’s not just at the Riyadh, Iga Swiatek struggled during the US Open too. And withdrew from the Asian swing to recover and regroup for the year-end tournament. In addition to this, the former World No.1 changed her coach, as she collaborated with Wim Fissette. With Fissette, Swiatek might now be looking for a change to shine on other surfaces and not just slay. But would she take help from Dr Krezalek to aid her efforts as well? Only time will tell!