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Iga Swiatek's exceptional footwork has earned her high praise from Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci.
Swiatek recently completed an entire year as the top-ranked player in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). She became only the ninth woman to have held onto the top spot for a full year since the introduction of the computerized ranking system in 1975.
Last season, she remained undefeated on clay, triumphing in all 16 matches and three tournaments she competed in. Her impressive victories included title triumphs at the Italian Open and the French Open.
The Pole sustained a shoulder injury at this year's BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, which forced her to withdraw from the Miami Open. Upon her return, she defeated Qinwen Zheng, Pliskova, Ons Jabeur and Aryna Sabalenka to defend her Stuttgart crown.
Swiatek's impressive performance continued at the Madrid Open, where she reached the final.
On Monday, May 15, Macci took to social media to praise Swiatek for her exceptional footwork. He stated that he had observed her footwork in super slow motion, at 400 frames per second. Despite the slowed-down footage, he felt her movements were still quick.
"Just watched @IgaSwiatek footwork at 400 frames a second in super slow motion and her little steps where she pops the popcorn double extra butter and it was still fast,"Macci tweeted.
Iga Swiatek will face Donna Vekic in Italian Open fourth round
Iga Swiatek is currently preparing for her fourth-round match against Donna Vekic at the 2023 Italian Open. Swiatek has been on a roll, having only lost two games in four sets thus far in the tournament.
The World No. 1 defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-0, 6-0 in the first round. She continued her winning streak with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Lesia Tsurenko in the second and third rounds in Rome.
Vekic, on the other hand has played two consecutive three-set matches in Rome, defeating Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Liudmila Samsonova.
Iga Swiatek has a 3-0 lead in the head-to-head clash against Donna Vekic, with her most recent win coming in the final of the San Diego Open last year.
The winner of this match will advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face off against either Elena Rybakina or Marketa Vondrousouva. A potential semifinal showdown with Paula Badosa or Jelena Ostapenko looms large on the horizon.
Meanwhile, 11th seed Veronika Kudermetova is the highest-ranked player left in the bottom half of the draw, followed by 12th seed Qinwen Zheng.
