Iga Świątek on Wimbledon Win, Coaching Dynamics & the Emotional Weight of Her Suspension | Served

Support for the show comes from our friends at Infosys, also proud partners of today's guest, Iga Sviantec.

When enterprises turn to AI, they need more than tools.

They need a partner who can scale innovation responsibly.

That's where Infosys comes in.

From modernizing systems to deploying enterprise-grade AI, Infosys helps businesses lead with confidence.

Beyond the boardroom, Infosys is transforming the sport of tennis.

As digital innovation partner for the ATB Tour, Australian Open, and Roland Garros, Infosys uses AI and analytics to elevate fan experiences and enhance player performance.

Visit Infosys.com to learn how they're helping businesses and tennis stay ahead of the game.

Hey everyone, welcome to Served.

I am pumped up today, fellas.

Iga Sviantec is going to join the show.

I am excited for this interview.

I'm a little nervous for this interview.

All of the things.

Served brought to you this week by our friends at Infosys.

It's going to be fantastic.

So, what happened, just to give you kind of a lay of the land of the way stuff works sometimes, is, believe it or not, Iga's been pretty busy.

You know, I can only assume that winning Wimbledon adds to the demands on your time.

We're supposed to do it Monday.

Her team has been brilliant to work with.

They said, can we do it Thursday?

And it's kind of been a moving target.

So, we were going to have it out last Monday for a Tuesday release.

That was easy.

Obviously, the priority is her getting to Canada, getting training and the whole thing.

So, we're filming this Thursday of the practice week of Canada.

You will be hearing it on Tuesday.

And that's the way it works.

The miracle of us having a studio in a garage with a bunch of knuckleheads is that we can adjust and we can be flexible.

So, we really appreciate Iga being willing to come on.

But that also means I'm traveling Monday.

And so, on the back end of this episode, producer Mike and JW will run through all things DC Open.

I'm sure there will be some opinions on Venus Williams, her match last week.

And at this point, we don't know how the week finishes.

So cool.

I was glued to my TV screen.

All you jackals that were in the comments disagreeing with my wild card.

Take that!

Take that!

Venus says!

I can still win matches out here.

That was awesome.

I am pumped for the Iga Sviantik interview.

We'll be coming up right after this break.

Again, serve, brought to you by Infosys.

Iga on the other side.

Support for the show comes from our friends at Infosys, also proud partners of today's guest, Iga Sviantik.

When enterprises turn to AI, they need more than tools.

They need a partner who can scale innovation responsibly.

That's where Infosys comes in.

From modernizing systems to deploying enterprise-grade AI, Infosys helps businesses lead with confidence.

Beyond the boardroom, Infosys is transforming the sport of tennis.

As digital innovation partner for the ATB Tour, Australian Open, and Roland Garros, Infosys uses AI and analytics to elevate fan experiences and enhance player performance.

Visit Infosys.com to learn how they're helping businesses and tennis stay ahead of the game.

All right, everyone.

Welcome back to Serve, brought to you by our friends at Infosys.

We have the six-time, the now six-time Grand Slam champion, Wimbledon champion 2025, Iga Sviantik joining the show on Served.

Iga, you're already in Canada.

Don't you ever get tired?

Well, first of all, thanks for having me.

I do get tired, but I don't think it's time for me to stop.

I want to kind of use the momentum.

So I wasn't able to play these tournaments in Canada a couple of times already.

So I'm feeling good, you know, feeling healthy and a lot of energy.

So maybe when I'm not jet-lagged.

So I'm ready to play.

Amazing.

I guess.

You make everyone else look like lesser humans because of your ability to show up and really kind of put forth maximum effort every week.

There's something that we need to address right off the top, right?

So I was lucky enough one day at Wimbledon to be sitting in the Royal Box, and I had the pleasure of watching you play that day.

And everything was like, it was a match against Danielle, and you were, it was just really, like, I left that match, and I said, listen, I know grass hasn't been her favorite surface throughout her career so far.

I go, she's in this thing to win it based on what I saw today.

And everyone knows how that ended.

The most important piece of this is in that interview, and I know you've talked about it a couple times, I just need some more information about this strawberries and pasta thing.

Is this, now, I have questions.

So, one, congrats on winning Wimbledon and also making this food choice mainstream.

Yeah, it got kind of crazy.

I don't know how that happened.

I wasn't expecting that kind of reactions, you know?

Because it's not, I mean, I had never heard of the combination.

I was a little stunned, and I tried to keep my face like I was supposed to be in the Royal Box, you know?

You know, your life just started then, if you just heard about it.

So, there's a couple of questions, like, is it, this could be stupid, but just tell me if it is.

So, the strawberries that you, they're actually on and in the pasta?

Or is it like strawberries and, is it strawberries and pasta or strawberries and pasta?

If anyone watched the Wimbledon video, you know, when they tried it, like, that's not the proper way to make it.

Sorry, Wimbledon.

But, basically, you've got to smash the strawberries so they're, like, all kind of juicy.

And then they mix perfectly with the pasta and the yogurt or the cream, you know?

So, the thing is, like, yeah, you should smash them as hard as possible.

Wait, wait, wait.

That's the thing.

So, everything is mixed, you know?

So, you just smash it together.

Cold strawberries, warm pasta, and it's all okay?

No, no, no.

No, you don't smash the pasta.

Come on.

That would be...

Because that would be crazy.

Yeah, that would be too much.

You smash the strawberries.

And that's the way to, like, they're going to connect all the sensations, you know?

This juicy, I don't know, strawberry jam.

I'll tell you this.

If I would have known that beforehand, I would have been in, like, 2004, 5, and 9 Wimbledon finals just smashing strawberries straight into spaghetti or whatever else it is.

Let's go back to this wonderful run that you just had at Wimbledon.

So, I'm curious to hear what adjustments you made this year.

I think I have my opinions of what I saw from you, but walk us through what the changes were.

Obviously, I think the part that's undersold is you had a really good week in Bad Hamburg the week before to build a little bit of confidence.

But what were the main adjustments that made the difference from, you know, maybe Wimbledon being your least favorite surface to you running through the draw?

The second week was pretty flawless.

Well, I gotta say, when I was preparing for this podcast, I was wondering how I'm going to answer all these questions.

Because on one hand, like, I want to tell you everything, you know?

Because I also know you understand, and you probably saw everything anyway.

But on the other hand, like, I don't want to put it out there.

So, I'm going to try to balance it.

Well, basically, you know, with Wimbledon, I think I started serving better.

Even at the beginning, like, after two months of practices, he kind of forced me to serve more on use to the T and on add to the backhand side.

I didn't like this, you know, directions before, because I felt like it's the, like, I can't slice it even a bit.

I should play this surf flat, you know?

And I felt like it's kind of too risky for me.

I don't know.

I'm not like you.

I didn't surf from the best.

I wasn't good at that from the young age.

I'll trade my surf for everything else that you do.

No problem.

Even, that'd be great.

So, basically, I think I needed, like, someone to force me to do that, to gain a little bit of confidence and to actually see that I'm able to, you know, serve all directions with good speed and good precision.

So, I felt already in Australia that this is going better.

Then, you know, I had some tournaments where, yeah, I didn't feel it that well.

But, I guess, in every process, when you learn, you're going to have ups and downs until you get to the point where it's going more naturally.

So, on Wimbledon, I think also with these balls that are kind of, like, I don't know.

I feel like they're, like, kind of sticking to the strengths.

Like, the contact point is a bit longer because they're heavier a bit.

I felt like I could serve really well.

And I was really going for it.

Like, honestly, when I looked at the stats after the tournament, I literally told my conditioning coach, like, was the speed check, like, broken?

Because I never served that fast, you know?

I was serving faster than all the big servers that we have on WTA Tour.

So, I was surprised.

I don't know if I'm going to be able to do that on the next tournament.

So, I'll try because I loved it.

And I got so many, like, free points.

And, you know, the girls couldn't really return the serves as well as before.

So, yeah, it was super convenient.

So, I think that was one of the keys.

And I got to say, for the first year, I wasn't trying to, like, copy my clay court game with still trying to spin the ball on the forehand and, I don't know, move kind of similar.

I just wasn't really – I just knew that I need to use my intuition a bit more.

I think I played more flat from the beginning of the grass court season.

And, you know, my spin wasn't really working before because, okay, the bounce was still higher than when you play flat.

But the girls had it literally on the right height, you know, to attack.

So, I think I played more flat, more aggressive from the first shot.

And, yeah, that way, like, you know how it is, feeling this kind of change on the other side of the net.

You get more tense.

You feel like you need to rush it as well and make better decisions.

So, I think I put a lot of pressure with that on my opponents.

And every game, I felt like I'm doing it a bit better because I also looked at the stats, for example, with the serve.

I wasn't that brave at first rounds.

And, you know, during the tournament, I felt like I could do more and more.

So, I guess it was also a lot about the confidence and the momentum, I would say.

But on every tournament, it's like that.

Yeah, I mean, the stats show.

Aussie Open, nine aces throughout the tournament, zero in your match with Matty, 10 at Roland Garros, one against Sabalenka.

Wimbledon, 24 aces for the tournament, and you weren't actually on the court that much.

You know, so it's a little more deceiving when you're playing long three setters.

Yeah, I'm really curious what's going to happen next, if I'm going to be able to keep that kind of form.

Because, you know, first practice on grass, I felt like I can serve better and I felt like I can do more.

So, I think it was also a bit about the balls.

Yeah, they're heavier.

I mean, they definitely, like, you describing as, like, sticking on your racket face a little bit longer, I think, was the accurate way to describe it.

But I totally...

Because now...

Go ahead.

Now we're going to switch to the lightest ball on the tour, so...

Yeah.

For women, because we have different than the guys.

So, I'm curious, yeah, if I'm going to be able to repeat that, I'll see.

Well, I hope you don't back off the aggression on your serve, because I hadn't...

Sitting right behind you in the first couple of games against Danielle when I was sitting there, and I'm looking and I'm going 116, 118.

And I've been a fan of yours for a long time now, but never had been like, oh, she's going to be a dominant server.

You know, match in and match out.

And if that stays and that's part of your game now, I wouldn't want to be on the other side of it.

One thing I want to hear you talk about a little bit, because I think a lot of the...

When people talk about your game, obviously the spin that you can create is as much as we've seen on the women's side of the game, for sure.

Your footwork is something that whenever I'm talking to someone about who they should watch and how to do it, your footwork is maybe the best I've ever seen, this side of Steffi.

Thanks.

But the backhand, I thought, at Wimbledon was dominant.

You don't need a lot of time.

Your take back isn't this long extended.

And talk about your ability to switch directions, because you're one of the few players that can be slightly left of middle with a backhand, and still create angle across the court to where it sometimes crosses the sideline before it crosses the baseline.

I feel like your backhand has been undersold for a long time.

But to me, that was the thing that kind of looked like it was keeping people on ice skates, right?

They were never able to get set because of your ability to switch directions on your backhand.

Well, you're probably right, but I wouldn't say it's something new, because I always loved my backhand.

And backhand down the line is my favorite shot, basically.

So it's not like we focused on it.

I would say that was probably third or fourth on the list in terms of importance on grass, you know.

So, and what we practiced, obviously, you always have to practice, you know, everything.

You can't go out on a match and not feel good, you know, on one shot.

You're probably, it's going to be used by your opponent, you know.

So, but yeah, the backhand, I mean, I always loved it.

I always felt like I can do a lot from it, even if I don't spend that much as on the forehand.

And yeah, I just went for it.

I don't know.

I mean, I was changing directions a lot.

I don't know if more than on clay or hard, because also, like, the moving on grass is much, much harder.

So just making your opponent move in the first two shots was crucial.

But on the other hand, you can't force it.

Like, you're just going to be late on grass if you force going down the line.

So I really went with my intuition, you know.

So, like, at the beginning, before we even started practicing in Mallorca, Wim was, I heard, like, even after Ron Kairos, that he has this idea of me and how he wants me to play on grass.

And then we sat and he was, like, literally explaining to me when I should play cross and when I should play down the line.

And I was like, Wim, well, I know this, but I'll see what I can do, you know, because it's not like I stepped out on the grass and I feel like I have so many options.

You know, years before, I just needed to adjust to the opponent a little bit, see what she brings, and maybe I can change down the line.

Maybe I should stay cross.

I'm not sure, you know.

It wasn't really, my decision-making wasn't really smooth, you know.

So I was like, give me something else to focus on, because that doesn't really speak to me, you know.

So he did.

We focused more on the technique of the forehand and on the serve.

And, yeah, but at the end, I think, at the end, it came back to actually, yeah, making the right decisions and knowing when to switch down the line to not risk it too much.

For example, the championship point, like, I wasn't sure if it's going to go in, you know.

I was a bit late, but the back-end of the line went in.

And, yeah, I think I was making the right decision.

That's it.

Yeah, I think that's an understatement to say that you were making the right decisions.

So as someone who's kind of well-studied in the game and not ever lacking thought behind something, at least from outside, you know, watching you and the way you digest things, it never comes across as it's just something you haven't thought about.

Well, it seems like you're pacing in the way that you go about your business.

Now that you're at six slams, right?

You're 24 years old.

I think some people forget that you're still only 24 years old.

And you have six slams, three different surfaces, and you've passed people like Lindsey Davenport and Kim Clijsters and now Sharapova.

Are you able to kind of grasp the fact that you're kind of creating a career that's not just successful, but like it's actually, you know, you're passing these names that are like icons.

Is that something that you think about or proud of, or you just don't want to think about it because you want the next Tuesday to be focused?

For sure.

After that question, I can say that you think about it more than I do.

Yeah, I do.

So, I don't think about it because, I don't know, I don't look at my life in that kind of broad perspective.

I'm literally kind of, I kind of got it after I won even Junior Wimbledon that, okay, you win a tournament, but then you'll have another one to test yourself.

And, um, I gotta say, I forget quickly about the tournaments that I won.

Sometimes I think I should even celebrate a bit more.

Um, but, you know, for some part of the seasons, it wasn't easy because everybody expected me to win.

So I didn't feel, I felt more the relief, you know, instead of this excitement or I don't know.

Uh, but that's why this Wimbledon victory tastes much, much better because it was so unexpected and, um, it came kind of, obviously I worked and every year I wanted to develop, but it came a little bit out of nowhere, you know, because my best result was quarterfinal and, um, every year my opponents could find a solution playing against me.

You know, so, um, so, um, so I kind of only think about these stats and these achievements when I get asked about it, but day by day, not really.

It's, I try to remind myself if I feel like I need to, yeah, celebrate a bit more and, um, and be proud of what I'm doing.

Um, but you don't have much time to do that because as I said, like next week, you have another challenge in tennis.

It's not like you have only like world championships, Olympics.

And if you win that, you can kind of be happy for a month or two.

You just have to get back into it straight away.

Are you, are you saying that maybe the tennis schedule never stops and maybe it should sometimes?

Well, I've been saying that for a long, long time.

So you, you touched on something that I have written down as like a, a next thing that I'm curious to get your, your take on.

So for the last five years, you've mostly been number one, you know, for the majority of the weeks.

And then you and our arena trade off sometimes, but Wimbledon, you go in and you're seated lower than you've been seated in a grand slam since maybe you won the French open the first time.

Is there a different mentality where maybe, you know, losing at the French open and not, you know, winning it to where, you know, you've been so successful that our expectation is like, oh yeah, she, she's going to win the French open.

Uh, and then you can make it the semis and it's like, idiots like me never made the semis one time.

And yet we can still, it's like, gosh, Iga didn't, Iga didn't win.

Is there, is there almost like a mental relief once you kind of reset post Roland Garros to where it's okay.

Now I'm the hunter and not like the hunted.

I'm not seated.

Number one.

I'm not coming off of a Roland Garros victory.

Was a certain part of that maybe freeing mentally?

Uh, well, I gotta say it was freeing in 2023, not at first, uh, but when I lost, uh, yeah, the number one to Arena for, yeah, for a couple of weeks, I, um, I was kind of devastated, but then it was freeing when I kind of worked through it.

And when I turned it around to something positive as like being motivated and yeah, actually like convincing myself that now I'm going to be able to like focus on, yeah, hunting instead of being hunted.

But, uh, but this year I gotta say, um, and last year, cause I lost number one in like in September or October.

So, um, it was a bit different cause I just had many different stuff to work on and to focus on, you know, it started with my case, um, and coming back after the case and all these mixed feelings that I had also, you know, playing well in Australia and then playing well in, in Doha.

Uh, and I lost in semis, but I felt like I'm staying good and I felt like, you know, I deserve to be, maybe it was a bit, not, not a lot of humility, but I felt like I deserve to be number one.

And it was taken away from me and having this kind of feelings didn't help me for next month because I, I was just, I just felt like the world is not fair.

I know it's pretty childish and you know, I'm, I'm a top 10 it's there, so I shouldn't, uh, be, you know, angry about things like that.

I should be kind of grateful, but it took me a while to, to get over it and to focus on the future instead of the past.

And I would say the reset didn't really come after Ron Garros.

It came after Rome.

Um, also, you know, switching coaches was a big deal for me because I don't like changes.

I, you know, my team is super important for me and any change, it's like kind of putting me off the balance a little bit.

Um, so, and with Wim, you know, it was tricky because I knew how experienced he is and I wanted to, to use his experience.

And I was expecting at the beginning that he's going to tell me something that it's going to be just, you know, Eureka kind of moment and it's going to change everything.

But I realized that I probably learned too much over past years to have that, you know, and now the changes are going to be much smaller and, um, and kind of, I'll have to adjust my tennis like delicately, not like I did, you know, when I started working with my previous coach in before 2022.

So, so yeah, like having these expectations and also I wanted to win something kind of for Wim because I, I knew that he's a great coach and I was winning before.

So why aren't I winning now?

Um, yeah, like every month I had a different challenge, I gotta say, and different thoughts in my head.

Um, and finally, yeah, when I lost in Rome pretty early and I for sure underperformed and my head wasn't in the match at all, like I couldn't focus.

I, I had many, you know, thoughts about, I don't know, even, yeah, it was kind of, I, I made my own problems, you know?

Um, I, I was able actually to reset, reset after that and I, like, I knew that if I'm not going to do it now, it's going to last forever.

And before Rangaros, I came out on a court, on a practice court with a little bit different mindset and I, yeah, and I practiced better.

I, I played better on Rangaros.

I had a little bit more of that fire in me that I had for last years.

And, um, yeah, and basically after Rangaros, I feel like I just continued that, um, so I wouldn't say losing Rangaros was such a big deal for me, um, because I knew I'm not playing good, um, and, and it's not like, not like you can dig out of your problems, you know, in one week, you're probably going to need a bit more time and a bit more consistency.

So, um, so I think the, the Wimbledon victory was just, uh, it didn't start on Wimbledon.

It started probably after Rome.

Yeah.

There's, I mean, I think people who haven't been in it don't realize that there's constantly a process towards things and it doesn't just happen, uh, like magic.

Um, you mentioned, you mentioned your case in, in last year and I remember hearing about it.

And then the, the, the more that I was privy to the facts of the situation and, you know, luckily I have a microphone and I can try to explain my understanding of things.

And it's basically like, listen, she's jet lagged.

She took melatonin.

I, I took four melatonin before the show today.

Like, honestly, like it's, but why aren't you sleeping now?

Cause I just, it's, it's this, it's this melatonin coffee trade-off that I got going completely unhealthy.

Um, but I think it needs to be said in front of you.

And then I'll also tell you the only time that I think I've ever really disagreed with something that you've said wholly is your case.

This, this whole thing, everyone who has looked at it, who is an expert has said, there's no intent.

There was no wrongdoing.

The contamination has been proven over and over and over again.

One, as a former player, I can't imagine knowing that I had done nothing wrong.

And then having a notice come through an email, a phone call, whatever it might be, uh, is just, I can't imagine much worse now.

It was pretty terrible.

So, yeah, I mean, what was your, what was your first reaction and where did you first hear about it?

Well, I was in a photo shoot with my sponsor in Warsaw.

Um, and I was in the middle of it.

We were just kind of changing locations.

Uh, so I went on my email and I saw that I got an email from, um, this portal, you know, and I thought it's just a reminder to do my whereabouts or something.

Um, but yeah, it said that, well, I didn't even read it because I started crying and my, my agents that were there, like with my, for my shoot, they literally thought that someone died, you know?

So, so I gave, yeah, my manager the phone and, uh, she read everything.

Um, they were also pretty confused because like, obviously no one knows what to do in a situation like that.

But I called, um, uh, the physical and conditioning coach.

He already knew from my other agent.

Um, I called Daria and, um, and basically we met, um, yeah, during the shoot.

Um, I had no idea, like if I should even continue doing this shoot because my face was all red.

I was crying for probably like 40 minutes, but you know, on the other hand, I knew that I can't really probably tell them about it.

So I just continued for next three hours.

And I gotta say, these were the best things that I shot.

So I must be a good actress.

Um, and, um, yeah, we, we met in the evening, um, with the whole team, with my doctor and we, we had a first call with a, with a lawyer.

Um, I hired him like on the phone basically.

Um, and yeah, it was all pretty confusing.

Um, and honestly, I was like a total mess.

Cause I, on this meeting, I was like basically joking because it didn't, I was like sarcastic and everything because I just had to do something to keep it together.

You know how it is sometimes.

Um, and then when everybody came out, I was just crying for, for two weeks.

So I couldn't, I couldn't practice.

I couldn't step out on the court because I felt like tennis did this, did this to me.

And that's, I'm in this place because of tennis.

I, you know, I would, because I felt like I'm losing my integrity.

Like I felt like no one is going to believe me that I didn't do anything wrong.

And I felt that the whole world is going to kind of turn their backs on me and that I'm finished, you know, and, and every accomplishment that I had is going to suddenly disappear.

Um, sorry, I'm going to start crying now.

No, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't.

So, so why are we talking about this?

Um, so, so yeah, I, I was a mess.

Um, my, my team helped me a lot, uh, with making the process kind of logical.

They told me basically, and the lawyer, what I needed to do.

Uh, we started testing on my supplements and, um, and medicines that I, that I take.

Um, and, um, yeah, just doing the, the research, but for most of the days, I just tried to kind of block it out.

And I was meeting with my friends who didn't have a clue what's going on.

Well, they saw I'm not injured and I'm not playing.

So one of them kind of guessed that I might, might be in some troubles, you know?

Um, so at some point I, I told them, which also wasn't easy because I, everybody was saying that I shouldn't tell anybody.

Uh, because yeah, I know that there was also some PR, um, fuss about players not being clear about what's going on with their fans and, and social media and everything.

But, um, truth to be told, if anyone would say straight away about this kind of case without any explanation, without any data, without any proof that you did nothing wrong, like we would all be finished.

You know, everybody would just hate us, you know?

So regardless what even other athletes say, because I spoke to them and most of them were kind of rational, but some of them were angry that, you know, you're not disclosing all this information straight away.

Um, I feel like, honestly, if I would have to tell everybody without being able to defend myself, I, I don't know what would happen to me, but I would be in a really, really, really bad place, you know?

So, um, so yeah, well, my team was really helpful.

Um, it was amazing how everybody just got together to help me and everybody, you know, they kept me going.

Um, and for sure, you know, Daria knowing me so well, being my psychologist, um, also helped me, you know, at that point and months later when I was already on the court.

But I had so many different thoughts about this whole process, you know, she helped me to, to find some logic in it, even though it was super hard and to be grateful about being able to play again, rather than focusing on this bad thing that happened to me.

Yeah, well, I'll say anyone who's actually in most of the people who want their reactions valued don't actually go through the process of reading through the case file and the sequence of events and which, which, which sucks.

Cause it like, like you're saying, it puts you in a no-win situation, even if innocence is proven, which it has been, uh, in your case.

One of the times that I really, I felt like a lot of sympathy for you the entire time.

Um, but especially when I remember it was post Indian Wells before Miami and you posted something very long and it broke my heart that you felt like you had to explain the fact that it had been mentally taxing.

Right. And I, at this point, I remember, I remember I went, we did a show with, with Kim Kleister's that day and we talked about it.

I'm like, they're just looking for something. Yeah. I mean, just, it's, it's like, you don't owe anyone that thing, especially if you're innocent.

I know that's impossible, but that I really felt sympathy for you.

The fact that you felt like you had to post something, uh, but before Miami.

Well, I wanted to explain it, but because people, I came back on the court and people did forgot that I had this kind of problem and they just thought that it's going to be back to normal, you know, back to winning everything.

And honestly, I thought it as well at some point because I had this, I don't know, perfect Instagram kind of vision that, you know, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger and this kind of blah, blah, blah.

And yeah, it works sometimes, but, but on the other hand, I was also expecting that it's going to make me stronger and expecting that, okay, now I'm going to be back on tour with this, I don't know, maybe rage and I'm going to be strong and I'm going to prove everyone.

Well, I didn't feel that way. You know, I felt like the world was kind of attacking me and destroying my life.

So, so it was a bit different and I think I needed to explain that to the fans. Um, and honestly, everybody listened and understood. Um, I'm, it's hard for me to like go on a press conference and explain this kind of stuff because mainly I feel like I should be able to deal with it myself.

Um, so writing a post like that, I think it's a bit easier. Um, and yeah, I, I felt like it's a good idea and then it was a bit easier also to talk about it on media, for example, before Miami and everybody understood, um, they forgot about it on the other hand when the clay court season started.

Uh, but, um, yeah, but as I said, I really just tried to focus on myself and I knew what problems I need to solve, what challenges I have to overcome. And at some point I, I did that and, and I'm happy with my Wimbledon trophy now. I don't care about, I think a Wimbledon title makes everything feel a little bit better. Uh, let's, let's talk about, you, you, you mentioned Wimfacet and I want to, I want to get back to that because we also talked about the show, uh, you know,

it's that, that thing where you've established such dominance, especially on, on, on clay throughout your career. Whereas like, if you don't win every tournament, people are going, what's wrong. It's like, you've made two semis of slams in one, one this year. And people are going, oh no, you know, it's not, it's like, it's so absurd, but especially when people were kind of maybe starting to question the partnership with you and Wimfacet, I'm going, you morons, like you're here, you know, in the comment section of some thing.

Your coach has worked with Osaka, Kerber, Azarenka, Kim, Kvitova, Halep, all have won two plus majors. And by the way, it actually takes guts to take a job with someone of your pedigree, because there's a lot more downside than upside for Wimfacet in that job, right? Walking onto someone's bag, who's already won five majors.

Walk us through.

Yeah, and after three almost perfect seasons.

Yeah.

So talk about.

The expectations are super high.

Yeah, but talk about how, I don't think people actually understand how hard that is, because one, for you bringing someone new into the fold, which you had mentioned quickly before, but also for Wim, right?

There's not like, you go out and you win the French Open and people go, well, yeah, like winning Wimbledon is almost the perfect solution because there's such a value add.

And that was kind of like, there was space on your resume for Wimbledon title, but talk through that relationship, especially in this year where everything hasn't really gone totally according to script.

Well, also a reminder, like Wim started working with me when he didn't know when I'm going to be back on the court, so that also says something, you know.

Well, as I said before, I also had high expectations, which probably didn't help me at the beginning, because I would say the preseason was amazing.

Um, Wim showed me a different way to play my forehand and we were basically just focusing on that and my serve and I felt really great in Australia.

I felt really confident and, um, I felt like everything that we worked on during preseason was clicking.

Um, but then, yeah, then I started to have all these thoughts that I told you about.

And, um, I also wanted to win something for him, which was pretty stupid because you should win for yourself.

Um, but, but yeah, I felt like I should do more.

I felt like, you know, the previous, I was constantly comparing myself to my previous seasons and, um, and that can't be helpful if I won almost everything, you know, uh, before.

So, um, so I've had a bit of a trouble with that.

Um, then, you know, um, also I, I don't like changes.

I felt like, um, my results aren't as good.

Sometimes it wasn't really anybody's fault.

You know, sometimes I just had a worse day, even though my process was going, you know, slightly up.

I had one worse day.

I, I lost and suddenly you feel like you're not working well, you know?

Um, so I also had some doubts that I had to go through and, um, and Wim was great.

I taught them, I taught him even about them and he, he, he probably is like the most patient person and understanding coach that I ever talked to, you know?

And, um, he really waited a bit for me to get it together.

Um, and, and when I did, I, I was actually able to like, I don't know.

Trust him more and dig into the work with him a bit more, um, instead of constantly thinking about how I played, you know, last seasons and thinking that, well, it worked last year.

So why should I even learn something new if I, if I was winning a lot and I felt great, you know?

Uh, but tennis doesn't work that way.

It's constantly developing and you also need something to surprise your opponents with.

You can't play the same way, you can't play the same way all the time.

So, um, so I was finally ready after many months, probably way too long for an athlete like that, um, to change something and to learn something new and, um, and yeah, Wim waited and, um, we were still working on stuff, but, um, but I gotta say I, it was my fault.

I, a little bit lacked of the, the belief I would say, and, and commitment as he likes to call it.

Um, and yeah, when we finally, when I finally let go of the past and I started only thinking about the future, I was able to practice much, much better.

And, um, and the quality of my game also was much, much better.

So, so again, it was another proof that, um, in tennis, you kind of have to mix this, this tennis part, the physical part, obviously, which I didn't talk about and the mentality and all the things that you have in your head, you know?

So, um, so yeah, Wim is, Wim is great and he, he's a great coach.

He, he knows a lot, he has amazing experience and he uses it, you know, um, to explain me stuff and to convince me sometimes.

So, um, yeah.

And first, like, that's also main thing for me when I hire a coach, he, he's a great person, you know, we have to spend so much time together.

And, um, it's just, life is much easier when, when you like, uh, uh, your coach and when you know that you can rely on him and trust him.

So, so yeah, Wim is for sure one of these people.

And, um, I really appreciate that.

I was getting frustrated.

I'm glad you, you kind of explained the dynamics of what all goes into a good relationship player and coach.

Cause I'm going, I'm hearing people talk and I'm going, okay, this guy's track record, Ega's track record.

And we're trying to tell them that they don't understand what they're doing.

Like, give me a break, get out of here.

Morons.

Yeah.

I mean, people should give a little bit more trust and also a little bit more time.

Also sometimes for things to click, you know, um, it's not like we're robots, you know, and we're just going to repeat what we did before.

Um, and also I'm stubborn, you know, like there's a reason it took me a few months to try new things out.

You know, um, I wish I wasn't that stubborn.

I think it's a good thing and it's a bad thing.

So it's hard to get rid of it if it's also bringing you some positives, but, uh, I'm super stubborn.

And most of problems that, um, I mean problems, like most of challenges that occurred was basically me being stubborn or us like not understanding each other because that's the first time I had a, I have a coach that doesn't speak Polish, you know?

So, but these are things you, you solve pretty quickly.

Um, yeah, especially when, when Daria and magic, uh, we're always there to kind of help us understand each other.

Yeah.

I, I always have this theory that sometimes when you get to a certain level of success as a person, and obviously yours has been outsized that I think our biggest strengths can also sometimes be our biggest weaknesses.

Right.

And that offset figuring out how to like turn on the superpower of, of, of commitment and being stubborn.

And that's probably, you know, what largely got you to where you are, but then being able to adjust off of it.

Um, I think that's brilliant self-awareness.

Okay.

All the questions I've asked are for the tennis world and to get into your mind.

I need one for me.

I need to know about your footwork.

Did it look the way that it looks now when you were like eight years old?

I can't get over it because it's not like, you know, the person who watches a tennis match every two or three months knows the forehead, knows all the stuff, but I w I want an isolation shot, like on your footwork.

Is it something that has come naturally to you?

Are there certain drills?

Don't tell us all the secrets, but is it something that was always easy for you?

Uh, and it just got better.

Or was it something that you worked on from a, like a very young age?

Well, I wouldn't say I worked on it from a very young age.

Because it's not like we had, it's not like I was in this system where I had the best coaches already from a young age.

You know, my dad was basically just trying to figure things out.

So like the proper conditioning coach, um, the first conditioning coach and the proper conditioning, uh, like practices I started when I was like 14 or 15.

So I would say pretty late.

Um, also I didn't really have time for that because school was, you know, as important as tennis, you know, if I would be bad at school, I wouldn't probably play.

So, um, so basically, um, yeah, um, I think I had it somewhere in me from the beginning because people like parents or my dad, even like they saw that I probably moved a bit better than other kids, I guess.

But it's not like I felt it, you know, I just did, I just lived the way I live and that's it and play the way I played.

Um, and then, well, would you say I was a good mover in 2019?

I mean, when I came on tour, I mean, I don't know.

The movement piece is one part, but the part that is like otherworldly to me is when you're in working in the middle of the court and the quick steps in between shots.

And like, I see players that are way less accomplished being lazy and warm up and literally from the word go, your feet are moving.

You don't take a play off, even though, you know, your, your footwork is some of the best that I've ever seen.

Well, I remember working on these little steps when I was a kid with one of, with my first coach, basically, who also had this idea that I should serve kick serve and play topspin from my forehand.

So, uh, so he had some, some good ideas and, um, and yeah, but you know, I think, I don't know, I can't, I can't really tell you, you would have to talk to someone who knows some stuff about it.

Cause, um, cause I just do that, you know, I just do what my, what magic basically tells me to do on our practices and I don't overthink it.

Also, I don't understand it.

Like basically there are people who study this thing for six years, you know, at university.

So how can I do it better?

You know, I, I just, I don't know.

I don't know, but I was always a fast kind of person, you know, I, everything I do, I do kind of fast, you know, I don't know if that helps to answer that question.

Well, it's, it's, it's, listen, what it is, is it's brilliant.

Um, I know you're getting ready, uh, for the, the, the tournament up there in Canada.

You've been super generous, uh, with your time.

Um, I've always admired you as a, we're scheduled twice.

So we already, we already, we already, we already, we, we, we already explained all that.

You know, we already explained all that.

Everyone's happy to hear from you.

Everyone's very excited, uh, that you came on.

Uh, I appreciate your honesty.

Um, you know, we, we rarely have to, uh, wonder what you think for too long.

You said it's going to be fun.

And then you talked about my case for 15 minutes.

To be fair to just, just, just, just so we're, just so we're clear, you talked about your case first and I asked a question.

So that's that you were, you were, you were, you, uh, you were completely honest, but I also think, I also think like, I think what people have to understand is like, when you're an important topic, when you're in a press conference, you can't actually, you don't have the ability to explain something, the details of something and the emotion of something.

One of the things that I like about doing this job is that there's actually space to get into the nuance of life as a tennis player, as you know, and I, I don't know that we've heard that long form.

So I, for one, am thankful that you, you shared it with us, even though I'm sure it's the last thing you want to talk about at this point in your life, especially coming off of Wimbledon, but because of, especially because of everything that's happened, uh, to you in the last year, I know I speak for a lot of tennis fans.

We're thrilled for your successes, uh, at Wimbledon.

We enjoy the way you play.

I, I, I respect your professionalism, the way that you go about your craft and trying to get better and better and better, even in the face of, uh, of marching through history.

So Iga, thank you so much, uh, for coming on served good luck in Canada.

Good luck in Cincy and we'll see you at the U S open.

Thanks a lot.

See you around again, sir, brought to you by Infosys.

We'll be right back.

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John, welcome into the show.

Andy is currently up in Toronto.

What did you make up of this, uh, incredible Iga interview?

Great conversation.

And I think it bears in mind, this is a superb, superior tennis player, but Iga plays it pretty close to the vest.

Um, that was really a revealing conversation from a player who, you know, isn't necessarily the most extroverted player out there.

I think there was some game, recognize his game.

And, uh, I think the fact that Andy was the one asking those questions probably went a long way.

I was interested in a few things.

One of them was sort of the tick-tock of what happens when you have one of these adverse doping findings and you see the difficult position a player is in and she couldn't immediately run to defend herself because that would have, that would have violated the process.

At the same time, you could imagine the strain and the stress that you have this knowledge and you're pulling out of events and you can't really say what for.

I thought her remarks about coaching and, uh, sort of the, the Vimfacet relationship and how that, that took a bit of time were, uh, were interesting.

And again, I mean, go back and read, for example, some of her press conferences during Wimbledon.

Again, this great triumph of her career, this one, the happiest two weeks, uh, that she's had all year.

And it's pretty subdued and it's pretty close to the vest.

And I think that Andy raised a good point when you can actually have an exchange and have some nuance and not just have question, answer, question, answer, absent of context.

I think that makes a big difference.

That was a, that was a really spirited conversation with someone who doesn't always engage in spirited conversations.

I enjoyed that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I completely agree.

And just hearing about finding out about the negative result while in a photo shoot, you know, having a great day and a great time and then having to compartmentalize that and exist in this space because there's so much repercussion if she's to let on, you know, that this has happened, um, you know, the fact that she was able to have a team around her to support her, I think that was incredible, but it was, uh, truly eyeopening and it was great to hear, uh, this side of her, to be honest, John, let's get to the DC open, uh, that just wrapped up over the weekend.

First on Saturday, we had Layla Fernandez capture the title.

Uh, she showed some serious moxie through her run to the win.

Uh, let's talk about her performance and some of the greats, uh, that she made her way through to, to capture that title.

Yeah.

What a week for Layla Fernandez.

And I think we forget how young she is as well.

And this was a player who came within, uh, two sets of, of winning a major four years ago.

And we forget, wait, she was a teenager when that happened.

The other thing I have to say about DC, I was there actually for, for non-tennis for, for 60 minutes reasons.

It was so oppressively hot.

Remember those days we had at Wimbledon, uh, last month and we, we, people sort of, you know, there were, there were fans that unfortunately had some health issues in the stands.

This in DC was just next level heat and humidity.

So apart from beating that, that murderous row of players, um, for both, uh, you know, both, both men's and women's side, bear in mind, this heat and humidity was absolutely brutal.

And, uh, I think that, that ought to be a factor in our analysis.

But no, I think Layla Fernandez, you know, she sort of had this really, really tough semifinal battle, seven, six in the third against Robackina, great contrast in styles.

I mean, Fernandez on the, certainly on the diminutive side of the WTA against the ace leader of the tournament.

And it just came down to a few points deep in that third set and Fernandez battles as she does.

And then to come back the very next day and win a final so handily that, that says a lot.

All of a sudden she, she goes to Canada, you know, she's, she's going to be, you know, she'll be back in the top 25.

She goes to Canada.

Of course, uh, that is the closest thing she will get to, to a home slam.

Then she comes to the U S open where she has these, these great memories.

This is a player who's, she's got a lot of sort of commercial endorsements.

And I think that that in some ways has, has been great for her upside.

I think in some ways that may have been a bit of an added source of pressure, but no, here she is 22 years old and we forget, I think how young she is.

We forget how many looks she can give.

There's a lot of variety to that game, obviously being left-handed helps.

And suddenly you say, wait a second, this is a player with some real upside.

And that was a great week for her in DC.

On the men's final, we saw Alex Demon, you're pull off a, a stunning win over Davidovic Fikina after saving multiple match points to claim his 10th career title.

JW, what do you, what do you make of that three hour plus battle, especially in the heat?

Tennis is a cruel sport.

You're, you're Davidovic Fikina.

You beat Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.

You're a point away from winning your first title.

Oh, you are, you too are going to have a career high ranking after this likely.

And then you just can't quite seal it.

And a tournament that in so many ways should fire you with so much confidence and optimism ends up with you crying.

It's rough out there.

No, Davidovic Fikina is a very fine player.

It's really surprising.

He has not won a tournament.

You'll remember at Del Rey, he also, you know, another, another American hardcore event just a few months ago.

He also, I believe, had match points and lost a three-set final.

That was to Ketsmanovic.

To have that happen to him again.

I mean, Alex Dimonor is absolutely the wrong player you want on the other side of the net if you have trouble closing.

And some of this, let's give our credit to Dimonor, who wins still another title, shows why he's this top 10 stalwart.

Just a solid pro's pro.

I mean, I don't know if you saw that one match point that he saved.

It was just one of the, one of the points of the year.

And then, I don't know if you caught this, too, the gesture of sportsmanship afterwards.

That was awesome.

Yeah.

And so, I think Dimonor gets it.

And I think also, remember that Dimonor is Australian, but has all of these ties to Spain.

Trains there, speaks Spanish, family there.

And I think that that may have impacted that as well.

He's known Davidovic Fikina for a long time.

But yeah, I mean, you win a title and you're thrilled, but you also, you don't exist in a vacuum.

And Alex Dimonor, of all people, he knows the sting that's coming on the other side of the net.

And then to see your opponent in the final basically dissolve into tears is a jarring sight.

So, a bit of a bittersweet, you know, a bit of a bittersweet day.

Credit to Dimonor, but you really hope Davidovic Fikina, one of the good guys out there, can break through and win that first title.

Let's shift gears off court.

Naomi Osaka has parted ways with her head coach, Patrick Mortoglu.

So, John, what more do you know about this split?

I don't think this was a huge surprise.

This has been a relationship of less than a year.

Naomi Osaka has won a fair amount of matches, but not at the biggest and best events.

She just took a loss at Emma Ratakano in Washington, D.C.

Her coach, Patrick Mortoglu, wasn't there.

I think some of this is about results.

Some of this is about logistics.

And Patrick's got his hand in a million pots, and he's promoting a book, and he's doing the tennis showdown, and Naomi's based in Miami, and Patrick's an ocean away in Nice.

I also think, I'm not sure what sort of, you know, Patrick is a guy that pumps a player up with confidence.

I think he's much better known for that than any sort of tactical expertise.

And if a player doesn't necessarily have confidence, as Naomi doesn't appear to have much of right now, I'm not sure what the relationship is all about.

I've heard something interesting.

I've heard it's Monday, so who knows?

This will either be out there or disproven.

But my moles tell me that she will be working at least in Canada, Cincinnati, and the U.S. Open with Thomas Wiktorowski, longtime coach of Iga Svantec, our guest.

Keep in mind, too, that, yeah, it's an interesting match, and I don't know what the overlap is there.

Thomas worked with Agnieszka Radwanska, who was, I think, the first client of Naomi's agent, Stu Dukid.

So I think there's some familiarity, at least, through the agent.

But Thomas Wiktorowski, getting the call from Poland, and I think at least through North American hard courts, I'm told he will be the aide-de-camp.

Interesting move there.

Yeah, John, you know, when I look at these stats, I was reading the Athletic article about it.

It says six of Osaka's last seven matches had come in three sets with all of the deciders ending 6-4 against her or in tie breaks.

So maybe it is, you know, heading into a tournament she knows well, you know, in a surface she knows well.

Maybe trying to find somebody to give her that little edge.

Yeah, and I mean, sometimes she's really close, and you watch the level, and you watch how deep she gets into these matches, and you say, okay, then she's not that far off from the player who won four majors.

She's having a hard time, though, pulling those matches out.

And, you know, I mean, this is the issue when you've had the success that she has had.

I mean, it's been a very strange career, sort of in terms of rhythm, and she's sort of won back-to-back majors twice, but then will go years without getting to the second week of a major.

When you've won four majors and you've had the success she has, you're not in this to get to the third and fourth round.

So I think she's looking to get back to the level where she once was, and I think, you know, she's encroaching on age 28.

I suspect the last year has been pretty frustrating.

Another coaching change, Stefano Sissipas has returned to his family tutelage.

Can you tell us about that split?

Bernie Venisevic is going to have a very—we're not quite a 30-for-30 level, but he could do quite a short about 2025 and his coaching misadventures.

Remember, he was part of the Elena Robachna team and all that came with it in Australia, sort of left that situation sort of fairly unceremoniously, hooks up with Sissipas.

That has a curious dynamic as well.

I think after those remarks—you remember the remarks that Goran made at Wimbledon after Sissipas lost?

And essentially, you know, whether this was to motivate or whether this was just one of the great tennis truth-tellers telling his truth, it did sort of strain—you know, it's a straining imagination that that relationship would continue.

We've talked before on the podcast, and maybe Andy and I, we'll even do a deeper dive about this whole parent coaching their kid dynamic and where sort of family loyalties sort of cut off and optimizing professional capabilities begin.

It seemed like a really fraught situation.

And now Goran Ivanovic, for his third job of the year—you know, we're not even out of July— it looks like he's going to be working with Jasmine Paolini, at least on these North American hardcourt events.

So Goran Ivanovic, again, I don't think we're quite at 30-for-30 level, but he will have an interesting college essay, if nothing else, about the 2025 coaching arrangements he's had.

Since the boss called it a, quote, brief but intense experience and a truly valuable chapter in my journey.

So intense was probably the best way to describe it based on all the commentary in the public.

Last thing, John, I know we didn't go over this, but I wanted to get your commentary on it.

We talked about it on the Friday Five Setter.

But the Wimbledon, you know, win in the courts without expansion, I wanted to get your take on what you think that means, not only for Wimbledon as a whole by tripling, right?

It's almost tripling its footprint, but for tennis as a whole and for all the other slams.

Man, we could do like half.

I mean, I'm kind of sort of fascinated by this whole topic.

And for a while, one of my takes on Wimbledon was how much money they passed up and they didn't get into the naming rights game and they didn't have so many sponsors and you don't see the back walls plastered.

And all of a sudden, this looks like a pretty savvy move from a business perspective.

I mean, this event is going to absolutely change.

There's going to be this 8,000-seat stadium.

There are going to be more than three dozen courts and, you know, it's going to take a while.

This isn't going to happen tomorrow.

I mean, I think they're talking early 2030s.

And one thing about Wimbledon, you noticed it, Mike, when you were there.

Great event.

Nobody walks away disappointed.

One of these bucket list experiences, but it's pretty crowded.

And if there's a way to allow more people to experience Wimbledon,

you know, people are spending the night camping out in a field in order to experience this.

If this creates more opportunities for people to enjoy Wimbledon.

I mean, obviously, the bigger picture for tennis is this fits into some of this is the arms race among the four majors.

And I think Wimbledon is going to lurch significantly ahead now.

I mean, just in terms of square footage, but also just amenities now.

And the hospitality picture will change.

And the fact that the qualifying rounds will be on site will turn this into a three-week event the way the U.S. Open is.

And also, I think this is just another indication that the four majors are really the coins of the realm for tennis.

And I would not want to own one of the tour events the week before Wimbledon when Wimbledon inevitably goes to three weeks and we're going to have, you know, fans unqualifying.

And it's going to be a three-week tournament, basically.

And, you know, I mean, I think you have reserve a sliver of sympathy for the neighbors who are very unhappy about this.

And they're going to have dump trucks outside their house for the next five years.

But I think sort of big picture, it's good for Wimbledon.

It's good for the common fan, not just for balance sheets.

But I think the average fan will now have a lot more opportunity to experience Wimbledon.

And I think it's kind of inevitable.

And the trick that Wimbledon seems to master so well, the needle thread, is keeping tradition, keeping everything that's special, but also growing with the times.

And we'll see.

They've been very, to this point, they've done that delicate dance really, really skillfully.

Let's see if they can continue now that their square footage is going to expand so dramatically.

Yeah, biggest thing for me is they're probably going to have to build a bigger tube station at Southfield because that thing was, like, ridiculously bad.

Yeah, right.

We're leaving.

Well, that's it.

John, you got anything else?

Any other news from around that we need to hit on?

Or are we good to go?

We're going to do winners and errors as a feature if I have to, like, twist Andy's arm.

But no, we had good Venus Williams discussion after talking about the merits of her wild card.

I think that was validated.

And we now make the pivot to two big events and then the U.S. Open.

So here we go.

Yeah, and just so programming note, you know, the Canadian Open is going to kind of – it ends on a Thursday now.

So that episode is going to come out right before the end of the Canadian Open.

So we're going to do a special re-release of the Brian Brothers interview that Sean and the team are working on right now.

We'll still do a new introduction.

Really excited for you guys to revisit that.

We never really actually put it out as a full release back when we did the episode originally.

And we're also going to have Marina Sharapova on in the coming weeks.

Very excited about that.

And we're putting together final plans for our fan week draw special.

We'll give you guys more details.

I know in the comments people have been asking a lot about that.

John, we've got a lot going on in the next, like, six weeks.

Beats the alternative.

Yeah, I agree.

I agree.

Well, thanks, everybody, for checking us out.

And be sure to subscribe, like, check out our merch in the store, grab a hat just like mine or Sean's.

Sean's going to be on screen.

There you are, Sean.

All right, guys, that'll do it for Served, brought to you by our friends at Emphasis.

We will see you guys next week.