Andy Roddick speaks highly of Iga Swiatek as he compares her to Rafael Nadal ahead of Italian Open final

Swiatek and Sabalenka's Italian Open final match marks their 11th fixture against each other.

Andy Roddick speaks highly of Iga Swiatek as he compares her to Rafael Nadal ahead of Italian Open final

Andy Roddick and Iga Swiatek (VIa Imago)

After winning the Madrid Open, Iga Swiatek finds herself in the finals of the Italian Open, facing the same opponent. At the back of this latest achievement by the Polish star, Andy Roddick has lavished high praise on the WTA No. 1.

A couple of weeks ago, Swiatek defeated Sabalenka in an exciting three-set match to claim her maiden Madrid Open title, winning 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7). Now, the top-ranked women face off again for the title in Rome.

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Excited about this match, Andy Roddick revealed the key points for the match on the Tennis Channel. He mentioned Sabalenka’s serve, which has been the highlight of her game this tournament, but was very impressed with Swiatek’s footwork. 

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Iga’s ability to kind of swallow court Monaco is spot on. I think she has the best footwork that I’ve seen on Men’s or Women’s side. This side of Rafa. It’s phenomenal, and Iga just has to be able to switch directions, keep Aryna honest from the middle of the court.
said Andy Roddick

Swiatek has not dropped a set so far in the tournament and is currently a strong favorite heading into the match. However, Sabalenka has been improving and changing up her game, giving her an improved firepower to take on the WTA No.1. 

Andy Roddick places his bets on Aryna Sabalenka ahead of the all-exciting Rome Finals

With the last couple of matches remaining for the Italian Open, the predictions have started flowing in for the eventual winner. On the WTA side, two top-ranked women take on each other for the second time in a fortnight. WTA No.1 Iga Swiatek plays Aryna Sabalenka for the title in Rome. 

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Via Imago)

Swiatek has always been the favorite on clay court tournaments, but for change, Roddick picked Sabalenka to have the edge in the Rome finals. While respecting Swiatek’s current form, the American felt that the Belarusian was in slightly better form than Madrid and had a good chance of winning. 

I think Sabalenka’s form, she’s a lot more confident going into this one than Madrid where she was trying to find something early in the event and she had found it by the end and it continued here in Rome. But I’m not going to pick against Iga on clay, I’m just not going to do it.
Andy Roddick added

Sabalenka showed her true form in her last game. She beat the in-form Danielle Collins in straight sets to book a spot in the finals. However, Swiatek hasn’t dropped a set so far in the tournament and is on the verge of beating Serena Williams’ record of winning back-to-back titles in Madrid and Rome. 

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