Is Iga Swiatek set to dominate the WTA Tour for a long time? 

Her previous two Grand Slam wins – which came in the 2020 and 2022 French Open – were dominant affairs. She won in 2022 without dropping even a single set. 

In 2022, she was a known entity but dropped just one set en route to a dominant second Grand Slam title. However, the US Open title was different. 

She didn’t win it by being dominant. One could easily argue that out of her 3 Grand Slam wins; this was quickly the least prevalent. 

She made more errors throughout the tournament than she hit winners. This isn’t hyperbole either; she scored 137 winners compared to 197 unforced errors that she committed. 

The key, however, for Swiatek wasn’t the fact that errors afflicted her. It was the fact that she managed to overcome her mistakes and, in the process, learn more about herself and her game.

“Sometimes I wasn’t able to do it every time, so I was making a lot of mistakes. Then I finally accepted that I’m going to make those mistakes,” she said in the post-final press conference. 

“It’s not going to be like on the slow surface where I can build a rally, then be calm and finish. It’s going to be more risk and less control, for sure. 

“So I accepted that. That was the thing that actually let me be more free.”

Swiatek’s career up until this point has been defined by her ability to dominate the opposition. When she is in a position to win titles, she will often take home the title. 

Her record evidences this in finals at senior-level tournaments, including the ITF Futures events. In 17 finals, she won 16 and lost just 1. 

Tellingly, the only final she lost was her first one on the WTA tour – in 2019 in Lugano. Since then, she has won every single final she has contested. 

Therefore, the fact that she made a mental adjustment to accept her errors and be okay with not dominating the opposition in the middle of the tournament speaks volumes about her mentality. 

But perhaps more importantly, it also shows why she is primed to dominate the WTA tour for years to come. 

Women’s tennis has, for too often, been characterized by Grand Slam winners who struggle to maintain their consistency over a long period. 

Indeed, it is one of the reasons why Serena Williams managed to maintain her dominance for as long as she did; few, if any, tennis players could consistently challenge her over a long period. 

Yet Swiatek, at just 21 years of age, is already a three-time Grand Slam winner and is showing the kind of mentality needed to be a long-term success in the sport.