French Open 2023: Iga Swiatek's forehand compared to men's star - 'Wow, that is a surprise'

Iga Swiatek’s use of the forehand has been compared to that of Casper Ruud after the two stars averaged the same speed for the shot at the 2023 French Open on Thursday. In analysing Swiatek’s 6-4 6-0 second-round victory over Claire Liu on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Eurosport’s Barbara Schett made the observation in The Cube that Swiatek’s average speed with the forehand was 129km an hour in the first set, matching Ruud in his win over Giulio Zeppieri. Ad “Wow, that is absolutely a surprise to me,” remarked former Roland-Garros winner Mats Wilander.

Roland-Garros'Wow, that's a surprise!' — Reaction to Swiatek having same forehand speed as men's star2 HOURS AGO “I mean, Casper hits with a little bit more spin, I would think.” In total, Swiatek made 24 winners, doubling Liu's 12. Explaining the reason why Swiatek is using more intensity in her shots, Wilander said: “I think it's because they're pushing her. I mean, [Elena] Rybakina, [Jessica] Pegula, [Aryna] Sabalenka, they're pushing her and she doesn't want to be pushed around.

Nobody does. «Novak Djokovic hit his forehand harder in the Australian Open than he’s ever done before. [Rafael] Nadal hits it with less spin the older he gets.

“So, I think it's a natural trajectory that I really like. She's going to have some tough matches because she makes too many mistakes compared to the past, but I think it's going to make her feel more calm against the best players in the world.” Swiatek allowed a double-break lead at 3-0 in the first set to disappear as Liu pulled back to level at 3-3 as mistakes crept into the Pole’s game. But Wilander stressed that dropping points is only natural when she is playing with more aggression.