“She’s back to being dangerous”: Kim Clijsters on Swiatek’s clay-court revival before Roland Garros

Iga Swiatek’s run in Rome has triggered strong reactions from within the tennis community, with former world No. 1 Kim Clijsters at Love All Podcast describing herself as “excited” by the level the Polish player has shown following her recent coaching adjustment with Francisco Roig.

Clijsters framed the timing of the improvement as particularly relevant with Roland Garros approaching, where Swiatek remains a central reference point in the women’s clay-court field. “Excited” by what she has seen in Rome, Clijsters suggested Swiatek is re-entering the group of primary contenders for Paris.

In Rome, Swiatek compiled a strong run to the semifinals, registering four victories and reasserting control in baseline exchanges and key pressure moments. She defeated Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula along the way before falling to eventual champion Elina Svitolina, ending her bid for a fourth title at the event.

The broader assessment, however, pointed toward stabilisation. A three-time Rome champion with a historically dominant record at the tournament, Swiatek appeared closer to her established clay-court baseline level at a key point in the season.

Kim Clijsters placed significant emphasis on Swiatek’s visible and emotional presence on court, identifying a clear contrast with earlier tournaments in the season. She linked the change to both coaching influence and a gradual rebuilding of internal confidence.

“Really nice to hear that,” Clijsters said, reacting to Swiatek’s own assessment of her improved comfort in training and competition. She added that during Indian Wells and Miami, “you could see the fear, the stress in her body, in the way she was looking over at times at her player’s box.”

Clijsters highlighted the shift in competitive expression as one of the most important developments, particularly in how Swiatek now manages momentum and emotional output during matches. “Now to see her with a different kind of energy out there, and she’s still showing the fist pumps, but there’s more of a natural flow to it,” she said.

She contrasted that with earlier patterns where emotional activation appeared less organic. “Whereas before it almost looked like she had to do it to try to pump herself up, but it wasn’t a natural way,” Clijsters added, referencing the difference in on-court behaviour.

Clijsters also underlined the stabilising influence of Francisco Roig, describing him as “an intense coach but at the same time super laid back,” capable of reinforcing confidence through repetition and clarity.

“Sometimes you need somebody to keep repeating that so you still believe it after all the wins that she’s had. But it’s really nice to see her happy and explaining that, and playing great tennis,” she said.

Beyond the psychological aspect, Clijsters pointed to clear tactical refinements in Swiatek’s game, particularly in how she constructs points on the backhand wing. She emphasised increased variation in depth, spin, and angle as a defining feature of her current clay-court level.

“The backswing is a little bit harder to read as well,” Clijsters explained, highlighting improved disguise in preparation phases. According to her assessment, this reduces opponent reaction time and limits early court positioning advantages in baseline exchanges.

Clijsters also noted Swiatek’s ability to alternate between deep cross-court control patterns and shorter, more angled shots designed to stretch opponents laterally. That variation, she suggested, is central to her effectiveness on clay and increasingly difficult to neutralise.

“She can hit it deep crosscourt, she can hit the backhand deep through the middle of the court, but then out of nowhere she changes it up,” Clijsters said, underlining the unpredictability now embedded in Swiatek’s tactical profile.