By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday March 19, 2022
Maria Sakkari confronted Iga Swiatek 3 times in 2021, profitable all three matches and claiming all six units the pair contested.
However Swiatek modified her coach – and her techniques – in 2022 and swept previous Sakkari of their solely assembly of 2022, at Doha final month.
Forward of their blockbuster closing on Sunday on the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Sakkari admits that she was stunned by the aggressive method that the Pole performed towards her in Doha, the place she notched a 6-4, 6-3 victory within the semifinals.
“I believe we are going to each exit and try to play very aggressive as a result of that is how tennis is true now and girls’s tennis, usually,” Sakkari informed reporters after her three-set victory over defending champion on Friday evening on the Indian Wells Tennis Backyard.
Simply minutes after locking up a spot in her largest profession closing, Sakkari wasn’t prepared to speak techniques.
“I simply have not actually thought concerning the tactic but as a result of it is too early and too quickly,” she mentioned. “It is one thing that I wish to simply begin considering from tomorrow as a result of she has modified her sport. She’s not the Iga that was a yr in the past. She has been enjoying very, very aggressive and I used to be really very stunned with that change once I performed her in Doha. So I am going to need to provide you with a great plan with my workforce.”
— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) March 19, 2022
Swiatek has gained ten consecutive matches and jumped out to a 19-3 file in 2022. She began working with Agnieszka Radwanska’s former coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, and brought cost of her matches with forceful techniques.
Swiatek admits that enjoying extra aggressively might be difficult. She’s happy that she is getting higher at choice making, selecting her spots to be aggressive, quite than simply hitting out on all factors.
“I am fairly glad that I am additionally good at balancing the aggression, the management, you realize, as a result of that is I believe that is a very powerful factor in tennis as a result of actually we’re tremendous robust and we will hit actually exhausting, however we received to decide on the appropriate moments,” she mentioned. “And earlier I did not really feel like I used to be selecting the best moments, however I believe it additionally comes with somewhat little bit of expertise. So, yeah, it feels higher and it seems like I’ve extra choices and extra expertise.”
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