“To become more complete, she must..,” Martina Navratilova highlights key areas for improvement in Iga Swiatek’s game to match Novak Djokovic

Even a game as complete as Iga Swiatek has things to work on.

“To become more complete, she must..,” Martina Navratilova highlights key areas for improvement in Iga Swiatek’s game to match Novak Djokovic

Martina Navratilova and Iga Swiatek (via Imago)

WTA No.1 Iga Swiatek clinched her fifth Grand Slam title via complete domination of 12th seed Jasmine Paolini last Saturday. The Polish superstar dominated the Italian 6-2, 6-1 in one hour and eight minutes.

Despite the number of records Swiatek seems to be creating these days, tennis legend Martina Navratilova still highlighted areas for improvement in her game. The Wimbledon legend was speaking to L’Equipe while discussing the World No.1’s game.

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She will never be as dominant as on clay, but we are talking about a champion and she has real room for improvement. How many volleys did she play [in the final]? Only one, and she missed it. The truth is she doesn’t really need to go up, she’s so aggressive from the baseline. On other surfaces, however, like grass, it is more difficult. To become more complete, she must progress at the net. She has already improved her service.
Martina Navratilova said via L’Equipe

For starters, it must be a great privilege for Swiatek to be named in the same bracket as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic already. She has been asked this fortnight about matching the achievements of Nadal at Roland Garros, and now pundits are thinking about bringing her game to the same level as Djokovic.

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However, the main thing is that Swiatek is still only 23 years old. She has a huge career in front of her. Now, the main thing for her is to remain healthy and prioritize tournaments leading up to the Grand Slam events so she can be as dominant as Navratilova mentioned.

She can win elsewhere by playing like this. She won the US Open [in 2022], but she would win even more by expanding her range. Like Novak Djokovic: at first he played basically the same way as Iga, but he developed his forward game, his ability to finish at the net. That means we can do it, if we take the time. I know she is already working on this… Now we have to be able to implement it in competition.
Martina Navratilova added

Iga Swiatek wins fourth Roland Garros title

Iga Swiatek of Poland continued her dominance at the French Open on Saturday by defeating Jasmine Paolini with a commanding score in the final, clinching her third consecutive Roland Garros title.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Via Imago)

Ranked as the World No. 1, Swiatek showcased her prowess on the court against Paolini, who was appearing in her first-ever Grand Slam final. The 23-year-old’s victory came swiftly, taking only 68 minutes to secure her fourth crown in Paris within the last five years.

Impressively, Swiatek has emerged victorious in all five Grand Slam finals she has participated in, with her previous triumph occurring at the 2023 French Open. Her achievement of winning the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen for the fourth time places her in esteemed company alongside Justine Henin, Chris Evert, and Steffi Graf, making her the fourth woman in the Open era to achieve this feat.

As for Paolini, aged 28, her journey in the tournament ended with a disappointing defeat in the final, though she had previously showcased an impressive performance throughout the event. Despite her loss, the Italian’s run to the final marked a notable achievement in her career, especially considering her limited success in Grand Slam events prior to this tournament.

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