“She can win Wimbledon,” Chris Evert feels it’s ‘silly’ to write off Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon this year
Swiatek made it to the quarterfinals last year losing to Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in three sets.
Iga Swiatek and Chris Evert (Images via Imago)
Iga Swiatek will participate at Wimbledon without any practice on grass, for she pulled out of the Berlin Open after months of playing on clay. Chris Evert believes Swiatek might have decided to skip the tournament because of the Olympics but warned the opponents to not take Swiatek lightly.
Evert understood why Swiatek took a long break by skipping the Berlin Open and pointed out that if Swiatek goes to Wimbledon without any practice on grass, then her rivals probably would think that the Olympics is at the back of her mind and that she wouldn’t be striving for the title at SW19. The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion thinks that’s where the opponents would make the big mistake.
I just think the grass is an equalizer for her. The other players, like [Aryna] Sabalenka, [Elena] Rybakina, and Coco [Gauff], are going to feel like she doesn’t have a lot of confidence, she’s never done better than the quarter-finals, and she's probably thinking about the Olympics.Chris Evert told ESPN
Swiatek made it to the quarterfinals last year losing to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in three sets. But Evert has faith in her ability to win her first grass-court major title.
There’s nobody stronger than her mentally. She has a great return of service. I think she can win Wimbledon. I think she can. People who count her out this year are silly. I think she can win Wimbledon.Chris Evert added
Swiatek, after her Miami Open loss in the Round of 16, played the Stuttgart Open about a month later and lost it in the semifinal. Without skipping any tournaments, she continued to participate in the next three clay-court events in Madrid, Rome, and Paris, winning all the trophies.
Iga Swiatek will face Sofia Kenin in the first round of the Wimbledon
The Wimbledon draws are out and Iga Swiatek is set to face former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the first round of Wimbledon on July 1. They have previously played two matches with Swiatek winning both.
This will be their third encounter at a Grand Slam event, having met in the 2020 Roland Garros final and the 2024 Australian Open first round. Swiatek won her first major title at the 2020 Roland Garros and later went on to win three more titles in Paris.
The World No.1 could face Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round (Swiatek is 0-4 against her) and defending champion Marketa Vondrousova in the quarterfinals. Vondrousova won last year by defeating Ons Jabeur in the final.
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Gouri Das
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