Iga Swiatek, the Polish tennis titan renowned for her clay-court supremacy, faces a pivotal moment in her career as the 2025 clay season kicks off at the Mutua Madrid Open. Once an unstoppable force, with a 37-match win streak in 2022 and four French Open titles, the 23-year-old world No. 2 is grappling with a title drought that has stretched since her 2024 Roland Garros triumph. Her recent struggles, particularly a disheartening loss to Jelena Ostapenko at the Stuttgart Open, have raised eyebrows, prompting former doubles No. 1 and Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs to voice concerns about Swiatek’s confidence. “Absolutely, I think there’s a little bit of concern,” Stubbs warned, highlighting a psychological hurdle that could define Swiatek’s performance in the crucial clay swing through Madrid, Rome, and Paris.
Swiatek’s 2025 season has been uncharacteristically turbulent. Despite a strong start, reaching the United Cup final and the Australian Open semifinals, she has yet to lift a trophy, a stark contrast to her dominant 2022 campaign when she swept Indian Wells, Miami, and every major clay event. Her latest setback came in Stuttgart, where Ostapenko, her perennial nemesis, handed her a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 defeat in the quarterfinals, extending Swiatek’s winless record against the Latvian to 0-6. Stubbs, analyzing the match, pinpointed Swiatek’s predictable serve as a vulnerability, particularly her second serve, which feeds directly into Ostapenko’s lethal backhand. “Iga hits the same serve almost every time on the second serve. It’s that kick serve that goes right into Ostapenko’s best shot,” Stubbs noted, urging a tactical overhaul to counter aggressive returners.
The psychological toll of these losses weighs heavily. Stubbs described Swiatek’s mindset as plagued by a “plaque on the brain,” a creeping doubt that surfaces when confidence wanes. “She now has this scared feeling of ‘I’m not winning and I’m not getting the wins on clay. What’s happening to me?’” Stubbs said, recalling Swiatek’s red-hot 2022 form when she seized the No. 1 ranking after Ashleigh Barty’s retirement. With nearly 4,000 ranking points to defend from her 2024 Madrid, Rome, and French Open titles, Swiatek faces immense pressure. A failure to perform could see her ranking slide, a prospect Stubbs fears might further erode her psyche. “If she doesn’t [perform well], yes, I do worry about her psyche going forward because her game is so predicated on confidence,” she added.
Swiatek’s challenges are compounded by external factors. A one-month doping ban in 2024 for testing positive for trimetazidine, coupled with a coaching change to Wim Fissette, has disrupted her rhythm. While Fissette, formerly Naomi Osaka’s coach, has introduced tweaks to her game, her serve remains a work in progress, as evidenced by a 48% first-serve win rate against Alexandra Eala in Miami. Former player Andrea Petkovic, however, defended Swiatek’s evolution, arguing that her serve has diversified with body serves alongside her signature kick serve. “Yes, she should be able to serve the slice serve, but that is not fair to say that she has not developed her serve,” Petkovic countered, emphasizing Swiatek’s baseline dominance as her true weapon.
As the defending Madrid Open champion, Swiatek enters the tournament with a first-round bye, facing a potential rematch with Eala, who stunned her in Miami. Her clay credentials are unmatched—89 wins in 100 career matches and a 2024 sweep of Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros—but recent losses have dented her aura of invincibility. “It’s still a challenge because it’s not like I come to play [on clay] and everything is perfect suddenly,” Swiatek admitted at Stuttgart’s Media Day, acknowledging the adjustment from hard courts. Her elastic movement and topspin-heavy forehand thrive on clay, yet the Stuttgart loss to Ostapenko, on a slippery indoor surface, exposed vulnerabilities that rivals like Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina may exploit.
Social media reflects the growing concern, with fans on X noting, “Swiatek’s confidence looks shaky—can she dominate clay like before?” Yet, Stubbs remains cautiously optimistic, suggesting Madrid could be a turning point. “Can she get it back and right the ship in Madrid, Rome, and the French for sure?” she mused. For Swiatek, the clay season is a chance to silence doubters and reclaim her throne. With the tennis world watching, her ability to overcome mental hurdles and tactical flaws will determine whether she can restore the fearless form that once made her untouchable on the red dirt.