Iga Swiatek Pushes Her Limits With Brutal Weighted Training Ahead of Hard-Court Swing

Iga Swiatek is not willing to lose out on the hard-court season. The 2026 season has been disappointing for the Pole so far. She is yet to win a title and has been eliminated early on several occasions. With things not working out for her so far, she has taken a step that she believes will help her for the rest of the season.

The Pole had recently shared an Instagram story where she was seen training on a hard court while wearing a Tidal Tank Hydrovest. The hydrovest was strapped to her shoulders and carried liquid weighing 10 litres. She herself confirmed this in her Instagram story as well.

The tidal tank technique is a well-known training routine among sportspersons. It is generally used to maximize the movement of the weight, but it also helps in activating muscles and improving the coordination of the body as a whole. As the water in the tank moves unpredictably, it forces a person’s muscles to react instantly to the chaotic forces.

Swiatek has never used the training method before, but desperate times call for desperate measures. While she may prefer playing on clay, she is quite a successful player on hard courts. She has won several titles on the surface, including the coveted US Open crown she clinched in 2022.

A couple of title wins can drastically change Swiatek’s fortunes, but her season can go from bad to worse if the hard swing doesn’t go as planned. The Pole hadn’t done well on the surface earlier this year, with only notable results being quarterfinal appearances at the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Masters.

Swiatek’s form started to dip with the Miami Open, where she was eliminated by Magda Linette in the first round. This loss prompted her to part ways with her coach Wim Fissette after 17 months. Francisco Roig came in as a replacement but wasn’t able to bring a change to Swiatek’s fortunes on clay.

Mutua Madrid Open 2026 – Day 6 Iga Swiatek of Poland competes against Ann Li of the United States during their women s singles match on Day Six of the Mutua Madrid Open at La Caja Magica on April 25, 2026, in Madrid, Spain. Madrid Spain PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xMiguelxReisx originalFilename:reis-notitle260425_npqU1.jpg

Swiatek’s best result on the surface came at the Rome Masters, where she made it to the semifinals. The French Open proved to be arguably the biggest disappointment of the swing as the four-time champion was knocked out in the fourth round by Marta Kostyuk. Things didn’t get any better for her on grass as she faced an early exit at the Bad Homburg Open. At Wimbledon, she lost the chance to defend her title after Alexandra Eala knocked her out in the third round.  This resulted in her dropping down to No. 8 on the rankings.

It won’t be a stretch to say that Swiatek risks dropping out of the top 10 if she doesn’t improve her form during the hard swing. Thus, it isn’t a surprise to see her think out of the box and try out different training routines to overcome her rough patch.

Notably, Swiatek isn’t the only prominent tennis player to have tried unusual training methods recently. Turns out Jannik Sinner had also grabbed headlines earlier this year for using a strange but effective training method to sharpen his focus.

Jannik Sinner trains his brain by strapping electrodes to his body

Sinner has opted for a bizarre training routine to remain locked in during matches. The Italian is known to attend a mental gym where he trains his brain by strapping electrodes to his body under the supervision of Riccardo Ceccarelli, who is an Italy-based sports physician.

Sinner is among the growing number of athletes to use such brain training routines to achieve a state of calm during matches. He is one of the most prominent figures to attend Ceccarelli’s mental gyms and has been using the brain-training method for quite some time now.

The training seems to be working out well for Sinner as he is having one of his best years on the tour. The 24-year-old has won six titles this season so far, which includes five Masters 1000 triumphs and the singles crown at Wimbledon.

Not to mention that he didn’t lose a match from March to almost the end of May. This saw him go on a 30-match winning streak and clinch five titles.

Sinner is taking his time to recover from his grueling campaign at Wimbledon and has confirmed that he won’t be participating in the Montreal Masters next month. It remains to be seen when he will commence his hard-court season.

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