Iga Swiatek may be caught off guard by how closely she stacks up against Serena Williams at the same stage of their careers.
Leading into the Australian Open, Swiatek had lost two matches in a row, something she hadn’t dealt with before.
Still, the world number two made it to the quarterfinals in Melbourne before falling to Elena Rybakina, who later claimed the title.
Even though it wasn’t her best run at a major, Swiatek still managed to tie one of Williams’ records and there are more parallels between the two than many might assume.
Comparing Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek’s early Grand Slam records
At just 24, Swiatek has already collected six Grand Slam titles, her most recent coming at Wimbledon in 2024.
The Pole has been especially dominant at Roland Garros, where four of those titles have come on the clay courts.
Williams is often mentioned as the greatest women’s player in history and she still holds more major trophies than anyone else in the Open Era. And with rumours about a comeback now circulating, it’s worth looking back to when Williams was the same age as Swiatek is today.
At that stage of her career, Serena had won seven majors – only one more than what Swiatek currently has.
Swiatek also leads Williams at this stage when it comes to WTA 1000 titles and both had already captured a WTA Finals crown by that point in their careers.
You could make the case that Serena was facing a tougher field back then, with players like her sister Venus, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova and Lindsay Davenport all active during that period.
Tennis fans sometimes forget just how good Swiatek is. Looking at her numbers side by side with Williams shows she’s on pace for an extraordinary career – if she isn’t already there.
How Serena Williams gave Iga Swiatek a boost at the US Open
While they never actually played against each other, Serena Williams still managed to influence one of Iga Swiatek’s wins at the US Open.
Although she’s been retired for over three years, Williams has occasionally shown up at tournaments, including an appearance at the 2024 US Open.
Before Swiatek’s third-round match against Grand Slam finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – who had recently dropped in the rankings – she got a chance to chat with Williams.
After her 6-4, 6-2 win over Pavlyuchenkova, Swiatek spoke about how that encounter gave her a positive lift before the match.
“It was really nice to see her,” Swiatek said in her press conference at the time. “She has a lot of positive energy. It’s nice that she came on-site and she was chatting with the players, because for me, yeah, I still felt, even though we met before and for like couple of years we have been on the same sides and on tour together, she’s still like star-striking me (smiling).
“It was nice that she approach me, because I wouldn’t, for sure, find courage to do that (smiling) if it was the other way. But, yeah, she’s really nice and really positive.
“I’m happy that she’s following tennis, you know, and like my game because she told me that she’s cheering for me. It’s always nice to hear that from somebody like Serena.”
This year is expected to be Williams’ last appearance in New York as it has been heavily rumoured that she could reunite with Venus one more time.
This year could also see some changes to mixed doubles after its revamp last season. Swiatek reached the final alongside Casper Ruud last year.
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