Schett weighs in on issues causing Swiatek's lack of grass court game: "She has a big extreme grip and that causes her troubles"

Barbara Schett praised Iga Swiatek and considered her one of the favorites for the 2023 Wimbledon.

The former Austrian tennis player analyzed Swiatek's chances on grass surfaces shortly before the start of Wimbledon. With limited grass-court experience in her career, the Polish player decided to participate in the WTA 250 Bad Homburg Open as her only preparation tournament for the third Grand Slam of the year.

As the world No. 1, Swiatek is a favorite in every tournament she plays. However, her relatively weaker results on grass compared to other surfaces may raise doubts about her chances at Wimbledon. Her best result at the All England Club so far is reaching the fourth round in 2021, where she lost to Ons Jabeur.

Barbara Schett expressed her opinion that Swiatek doesn't feel completely comfortable with her forehand on grass courts.

“We all know that in the past on the grass court, she hasn't had too much success, and hasn't felt 100% comfortable because of the forehand,” said Schett.

“I think this is the biggest issue because a lot of times she she's a little bit late there. She has a big extreme grip and that causes her troubles.

The former world No. 7 expressed her opinion that Swiatek is one of the favorites and will improve as she plays more matches on grass.

"You can never look past her though because you have to view it as a whole and I'm sure Iga is getting better on the surface as well. And again as I said, the experience of playing on a grass court is massive and it's another year for her,” Schett concluded.

On Thursday, Swiatek advanced to the semifinals of the Bad Homburg Open after defeating Anna Blinkova. In the semifinals, she will face Italian player Lucia Bronzetti with the aim of reaching her first final on grass in her career, just a few days before the start of Wimbledon.