‘It’s All Too Obvious’: Aussie Commentator’s Prediction for Confused Former World No. 1

Australian tennis legend Rennae Stubbs has urged Iga Swiatek to modify a crucial aspect of her game to help reverse the downward spiral of her current season.

Swiatek is enduring a difficult period, having failed to secure a title in 2025, with her title drought stretching back to her French Open victory in June of the previous year.

After her triumph at Roland-Garros, Swiatek faced a one-month suspension for doping and has since teamed up with Naomi Osaka‘s former coach, Wim Fissette.

While Fissette’s guidance has led to some adjustments in Swiatek’s playing style, her serving remains a significant area in need of improvement.

In her quarter-final match against Alexandra Eala at the Miami Open, Swiatek’s first serve success rate was just 48 per cent, while her second serve dropped to an alarming 27 per cent, alongside four double faults.

Given Swiatek’s history of success, Stubbs is concerned that her serving woes might prevent her from claiming another title.

“This has been my concern about Iga for quite some time. At 5’9″ (175 cm), she should possess a far stronger serve,” Stubbs remarked on The Rennae Stubbs Podcast.

“I genuinely dislike her service motion. It appears so disjointed.

“She raises her arm, and then her foot moves too far forward, disrupting her balance. She needs to align herself more sideways and utilise her wrist snap more effectively.

“Her serve hasn’t progressed at all and is far too predictable.”

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In her quarter-final clash, Swiatek was broken by Eala eight times and lost 43 points after her second service return, a trend Stubbs identified as increasingly common in the Polish player’s matches.

“Her main issue now seems to be getting broken frequently, and I believe that the predictability of her second serve is a significant factor,” she elaborated.

“She continually uses the same serve and appears reluctant to vary it.

“It seems challenging for her to adapt due to her motion, which is so disjointed.

“There are multiple hitches in her motion, and her ball toss is excessively far to the right.

“There’s ample scope for improvement in her serving technique to earn more free points and elevate her serve into a formidable asset.”

Interestingly, despite the criticism, Swiatek has achieved a 50.1 per cent success rate on her second serve across all her matches in 2025, which ranks as the third highest among players in the current top 20.

Former world No.9 Andrea Petkovic countered Stubbs’ critique, labelling it “unfair” to suggest that Swiatek’s serve hasn’t evolved.

“She previously only relied on kick serves but has now also incorporated body serves,” Petkovic explained.

“While she may need to add a slice serve, it is not accurate to claim she hasn’t developed her serving technique.

“Her baseline game and return have always been her strengths, which is why her serve hasn’t been her primary focus.

“I agree she needs to work on it, and they are addressing this, but it’s unreasonable to compare her serve unfavourably against players like (Madison) Keys and (Mirra) Andreeva, for whom serving has been a weapon since they were teenagers.

“For comparison, consider (Elina) Svitolina, who lacked a strong serve and returned with a 120-mile-per-hour serve following her maternity break.”