“She really gives you nothing,” Karolina Pliskova says THIS current player is ‘much harder’ opponent than Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova

Karolina Pliskova stated that compared to Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, it is harder to win free points off Iga Swiatek.

“She really gives you nothing,” Karolina Pliskova says THIS current player is ‘much harder’ opponent than Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova

Karolina Pliskova (inset) and Iga Swiatek (via Imago)

Karolina Pliskova, who managed to become the World No. 1 during the Serena Willams–Maria Sharapova era, has stated that Iga Swiatek is a tougher opponent than both the aforementioned legends. The 32-year-old has faced off against each of the three players on multiple occasions on the big stages over the years.

Pliskova has lost all her three encounters against Swiatek, excluding the two times she withdrew. However, the two-time Grand Slam finalist is tied with Serena Williams at two wins apiece and trails Maria Sharapova 2-0.

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To play against Iga Swiatek is much harder because she doesn’t give you anything. With Serena, in the end her game was much more aggressive or like Sharapova who I played. But they would at least give you light points or make some mistakes. I feel like Iga Swiatek is not so aggressive but she really gives you nothing and she doesn’t even have one dip where she would have like one bad game, at least in the matches where I played her.
Karolina Pliskova said on the No Challenges podcast

However, she clarified that Williams at her best was potentially a better player overall while taking nothing away from Swiatek’s clay court prowess. She also highlighted that they cannot be directly compared because of their different styles of play.

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Especially on clay, she moves so well. I felt like with Serena, if you can get her on the move you could have some light points. I’m sure Serena at her best she would beat Swiatek on hard courts for sure, but it’s a different game, the personality is very different from both of them.

Karolina Pliskova added

The Czech player’s bold statement about Swiatek not giving away easy points is backed by the Pole’s incredible record. Since the 2022 season, Swiatek has won a staggering 49% of her matches with at least one set that followed a 6-0 or 6-1 scoreline in her favor.

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Iga Swiatek obliterates the ball as she steals point from Matteo Berrettini

Iga Swiatek teamed up with Sebastian Korda to take on Matteo Berrettini and Jasmine Paolini at the ‘Stars of The Open’ event. This charity event during the US Open Fan Week featured some of tennis’ biggest names including Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, who took to the courts right after Swiatek.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Via Imago)

The players put on a show during the short ten point matches that they played. In an intense crosscourt rally that Swiatek engaged with Berrettini at 5-6, she dominated on the ball and had the Italian reaching for every shot.

The women’s World No. 1 closed the point out with a blistering backhand shot through the center of the court. Despite the valiant effort, the team of Swiatek-Korda went down 9-11 in a nail-biting finish. The last point saw Berrettini get his revenge as he hit a drop volley that Swiatek was unable to reach.

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