„I was actually happy to have more time before coming back because it allowed me to work on some technical aspects of my game with Francisco. It was probably the longest period of uninterrupted practice we’ve had since I started working with him. I really wanted to use that time well and then return to the tour with everything we had practiced in the back of my mind during my first matches. I think it was valuable.”
“We’ve been focusing a lot on rhythm. Sometimes I feel like I do too many things too quickly on the court, so we’re working on finding the right rhythm and making sure I don’t rush into the ball. That also comes with patience and having the confidence that you can be the more solid player.”
“We’ve done a lot of grinding and playing longer rallies—learning to stay in those rallies and survive them. We’ve also worked on decision-making: not always trying to hit a winner, but instead staying solid and waiting until you actually get an easier ball to finish the point. I don’t want to constantly try to hit winners from the baseline and take unnecessary risks. That has really been the main theme since I started working with Francisco. We worked on it on clay and grass as well, but this was the longest period I’ve had to practice with him consistently.”
“In practice, I already feel like these new habits are becoming natural. During matches, though, you sometimes have to concentrate even more to make sure the old patterns don’t come back.”
Iga Świątek spoke to Tennis Channel after her second-round match at the 2026 National Bank Open WTA 1000 discussing the work she has been doing with coach Francisco Roig and the adjustments she is trying to make to her game ahead of the hard-court season.
