Australian Open: Can Iga Swiatek tame Melbourne in 2026?
When Iga Swiatek begins her season in 2026, along with winning she’s aiming to make history.
With six Grand Slam titles already in her trophy case, the Polish superstar has just one missing jewel to complete her career Grand Slam. The Australian Open. And following a dominant and, at times, bewildering Wimbledon run in 2025, Swiatek’s focus has already shifted to Melbourne Park.
“My goal overall will be to combine that with good balance, still keep my good game on the slower surfaces … to really feel more comfortable with the variety I’ve got and know exactly where to use what skill,” Swiatek told The Guardian recently during her end-of-season media tour in Zurich.
While her game has long been celebrated on clay, where she’s captured four French Open titles, the 24-year-old has proven in 2025 that she’s far more than a surface specialist.
Her grass-court breakthrough, culminating in a stunning 6-0, 6-0 demolition of Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon final, was the loudest statement yet.
Still, it’s Melbourne that looms large in her mind.
“I would like to try missing maybe two tournaments – maybe the ones I feel I haven’t been playing well at anyway – just spending this time on grinding and getting the technique better,” she said, outlining a bold strategy to optimize her schedule in the new season.
Swiatek believes that scaling back could be the key to unlocking her full potential at the Australian Open, where she came agonizingly close in 2025, falling just one point short of the final.
Playing 80 matches this past season — the most on the WTA Tour — has given her an intimate understanding of the fine line between form and fatigue.
“Mentally, it can give me a lot of confidence, knowing I worked hard. Then I can come to tournaments a little bit better prepared,” she said. “Because for sure, playing all mandatory tournaments now, most players will tell you they’re not always 100% ready to play every one of these.”
It’s not just about the body. Swiatek’s emphasis on the mental side of the sport has been a consistent theme, none more evident than during her Wimbledon run.
From 2-2 in the first set of her semi-final against Belinda Bencic, she reeled off 22 consecutive games, culminating in the first double bagel in a women’s final since 1911.
“It’s a Wimbledon final, I wanted to win it really bad,” she said. “I wasn’t really thinking about how it looks, I was just playing, and I didn’t want to give any points for free.”
Her unflinching focus and refusal to concede even a game sparked debate in some quarters, but Swiatek brushed it off. “After, for sure, there were a lot of crazy things happening. I remember all these interviews about the score, journalists asking questions if I should let Amanda win one game or something like that. It was pretty different.”
But if Wimbledon taught her anything, it’s that tennis is as much a mental test as a physical one.
“This tournament shows tennis is [such a] mental sport. This part of the game has a huge impact on everything and on the results of each player. I’m really happy I handled the pressure well.”
To complete the career Grand Slam — a feat achieved by just ten women in the history of the sport — Swiatek knows she needs more than grit. With Aryna Sabalenka holding the top spot and a tighter-than-ever top 10 field, the Australian Open will be a crucible. But it’s a challenge she relishes.
“There is a lot of stuff I learned this year that I started doing, but couldn’t really mix it well with how I’ve been playing for the past seasons,” she said. Her mission now is synthesis.
If she succeeds, Swiatek won’t just be remembered as the queen of clay or the surprise Wimbledon conqueror. she’ll be etched into tennis history as one of its most complete champions.
