How dominant is Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros through the first week this year?
- Iga Swiatek has served 22 service games. She has won 18 of them. 👏🏼👏🏼
- She has also returned 22 service games. She has won 18 of them. 😳🤪
It’s an absurd match metric that has powered the defending champion and World No. 1 into the Round of 16 tomorrow. How does she break serve so often?
She hits you first. You play your service games in recovery mode.
Opponent Dropping to 0-15
In the 22 service games that Switek has returned, she has won the opening point 13 times, dropping the server into an immediate 0-15 hole. It’s a place they rarely recover from. Of the 13 times at Roland Garros 2023 that Switek’s opponents have trailed 0-15, they have only gone on to win the game ONCE.
Switaek is switched on from the first point of the first game, looking to employ any advantage she can lay her hands on. It’s all about adding scoreboard pressure to the mix in this situation. Of the nine times the server has gone 15-0, they have held three times. That’s also not great, but better than the alternative.
What’s interesting to note is that once Swiatek jumps on the 0-15 lead, she typically finishes things quickly in that game. Below is a breakdown of what the score was when Swiatek broke serve.
18 Service Breaks: Server’s Score When Broken
- 15-40 = 9 times
- 30-40 = 5 times
- Ad Out = 3 times
- 0-40 = 1 time
This analysis gets to the beating heart of Swiatek’s scoreboard strategy. Jump on the opponent early and end the contest before it even begins. Only three times out of 18 did the server get to Deuce after falling behind 0-15. The most common outcome is that they win one solitary point and lose the game 15-40. Pretty demoralizing.
SUMMARY
Tennis is a game of getting ahead. Let the scoreboard help you by applying pressure all on its own. The first point of the game helps “control the weather” for the following points. Swiatek is a master at getting ahead and running out of sight with the match.
Like this analysis? Try Webinar 54: The First Point Of The Game. It provides an in-depth analysis of the ramifications of going 15-0 or 0-15 in your service game.
DRILL
Play a couple of sets where you and your opponent always start in a 0-15 hole. Feel the pressure it brings and work on being strong mentally in the face of immediate adversity.
