Tennis-Wimbledon the final frontier for claycourt queen Swiatek to conquer

FILE PHOTO: Jun8, 2024; Paris, France; Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates winning the women's singles final match against Jasmine Paolini of Italy on day 14 of Roland Garros at Stade Roland Garros. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

By Rohith Nair

(Reuters) - World number one Iga Swiatek won her third straight French Open and fifth Grand Slam title to cement her status as the best player in the world, but at Wimbledon she will look to win her first crown on grass to establish herself as an all-court great.

Barring a French Open second-round scare from Naomi Osaka, Swiatek was virtually unplayable in the claycourt swing as she dispatched then world number two Aryna Sabalenka twice in finals in Madrid and Rome before completing her Roland Garros hat-trick with victory over Italy's Jasmine Paolini.

With four French Open titles since her first in 2020 and a U.S. Open trophy in Swiatek's ever-expanding cabinet, the 23-year-old has shown she can adapt to different surfaces but grass remains her Kryptonite.

Swiatek has won 22 singles titles on clay and hardcourts but she has never reached a final on grass, let alone win a trophy.

She could take inspiration from Rafa Nadal, a 14-times French Open winner who did not win at the All England Club until 2008, the year he lifted his fourth title at Roland Garros.

Swiatek will arrive at Wimbledon as the top seed looking to improve on last year's quarter-final run but she skipped all the tune-up tournaments this month.

"I think to play some matches before Wimbledon is also good, but on the other hand, I played basically almost every match in Stuttgart, Madrid, Rome and here (French Open). So we need to take care of my physicality," Swiatek had said after the final.

"I felt last year that I could adapt quicker... I had these ideas, doing pre-season on grass so I can learn how to play there. Last year's result was pretty nice, I feel like every year it's easier for me to adapt to grass.

"If I would lose here earlier, maybe I would be able to play two more weeks on grass and then be a better grass player. But if I had to choose, I love playing on clay, so I'm not going to give up that ever."

In hindsight, skipping the tune-up tournaments may have been a blessing in disguise after a spate of retirements due to injuries or illness among the top 10 players -- including two Wimbledon champions -- at the Berlin Open.

Swiatek also has Tomasz Wiktorowski in her corner, who coached her compatriot and former world number two Agnieszka Radwanska -- the first Polish player to reach a Grand Slam final, losing the 2012 Wimbledon showpiece to Serena Williams.

"I just need to continue the work that I've been doing and it's been easier every year," Swiatek added.

"Especially with my coach who, with Radwanska, they had great results on grass... For sure it's a huge challenge."

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Pritha Sarkar)