Iga Swiatek targets improved serve as World No 2 begins Qatar Open title push

Swiatek enters the opening WTA 1000 event of the 2026 season as the top seed and returns to one of her most successful tournaments, having won the Doha title three consecutive times between 2022 and 2024. However, the Pole's dominance at the event was halted by Jelena Ostapenko last year, and she arrives in Qatar looking to rediscover her best form after a challenging few months.

The 23-year-old suffered defeats to Coco Gauff and Belinda Bencic in her final two singles matches at January's United Cup, before being outplayed by eventual champion Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

Those results followed a disappointing end to her 2025 season, with fourth-round and quarter-final exits in Beijing and Wuhan, respectively, and a round-robin elimination at the WTA Finals.

Swiatek has not lifted a title since winning in Seoul last September, and attention is now on whether she and coach Wim Fissette can recapture the level that carried her to the Wimbledon title last July.

Speaking at her pre-tournament press conference in Doha, Swiatek revealed she has been focusing on improvements to her serve, forehand and footwork - placing particular emphasis on the serve.

"I've been working on my serve, forehand, and my footwork," Swiatek said. "You can't wait for the ball to come to you here. For sure, getting the toss more stable and twisting more.

"It's not a change of motion, it's more about the intention you have during the motion. I wouldn't call it a change. From time to time, you always have to remind yourself of things like that in tennis."

The Pole will begin her campaign against Indonesian wildcard Janice Tjen on Tuesday.

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