Iga Swiatek proved once more how good she is at the 2024 Madrid Open, beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final and winning yet another trophy.
The Polish player failed to win the trophy at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, and many assumed that she would arrive in Madrid with a lot of hunger. Judging by how she played, especially how much winning the final meant to her, that certainly proved the case.
She fell on her back in celebration, and it was a deserved win. She was the slightly better player when it mattered the most, confirming once more how good of a player she is.
The former coach of Serena Williams, Rennae Stubbs, talked about how good Swiatek is, especially on the clay courts, during her latest podcast episode.
"It was one or two points where it really came down to it, where Iga Swiatek got the ball back cross court but in the middle of the court. So, through the middle of the court, I call it the tunnel."
"It's a very big thing for me and I coach it. Hit it through the tunnel, especially on clay and you're gonna find a shitty bounce in the middle of the court there, where everybody runs."
One thing that certainly stands out on clay is Swiatek's movement. She's been widely regarded as the best mover on clay in a long time and Stubbs certainly agrees with that. Her clay qualities remind Stubbs of Arantxa Sanchez and Steffi Graf.
"You might get a dirty bounce. But I get it back, and because Iga is such a great mover on clay. She is so good on clay, she reminds me of Arantxa Sanchez and Steffi Graf and the great claycourt movers, where you know they can get a ball that not many can, because they can just glide to the shot."
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