John McEnroe believes Iga Swiatek could be ‘blown off the court’ by Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina despite being a step ahead of everyone on clay

John McEnroe said Iga Swiatek is his favorite to win but she is not undefeatable.

John McEnroe believes Iga Swiatek could be ‘blown off the court’ by Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina despite being a step ahead of everyone on clay

Image Credit: John McEnroe (IMDB), Iga Swiatek (KXAN). Aryna Sabalenka (Tennis World), Elena Rybakina (Yonex)

John McEnroe weighed in on who he feels might win the French Open amongst women. He highlighted the qualities of the top 2 seeded Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka and why one might knock the other one out.

John McEnroe was talking to Eurosport about the French Open 2023 winner prospects. He feels that Iga Swiatek, who is the defending champion at the French Open 2023, has special clay abilities. McEnroe said, “On clay she’s (Iga is) just a step above everyone.” But he also shot off a warning for Iga Swiatek with respect to the amazing form both Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are in 2023.

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McEnroe is especially impressed by the big-hitting style of the two players. McEnroe added, “But I think Sabalenka (Aryna) and Rybakina (Elena) blow her (Iga Swiatek) off the court. They are such big hitters, big servers, particularly, Rybakina.”

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McEnroe said that he understands playing big shots or serving big is difficult to maintain consistently. Though it might not be the best strategy against it could work in women’s format as it’s the best of three. McEnroe said, “It (Big hitting and serving) is difficult to consistently do that. I don’t know if you can do that long enough, but it is two out of three as opposed to the best of five, so I think those type of players can cause problems.“

Ultimately, when McEnroe was asked to name his favorite, he still said Iga Swiatek’s name. “But I will still pick Swiatek.”

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Iga Swiatek’s clay dominance can be paralleled to Rafael Nadal’s

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Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek (Image Credit: Sportstar)

Iga Swiatek is the most talked about women’s tennis player. Her consistent performance has ensured that she has stayed on top for more than 55 weeks. Things could change at the French Open. She could slide down to World No. 2 or World No. 3 after the French Open. But as of now, she is still on the top. Iga Swiatek idolizes Rafael Nadal and pegs him as her biggest inspiration. Interestingly her clay story so far is a lot like Nadal’s.

Iga’s clay court win percentage is the highest at 86.3%. Nadal’s though is higher at 90.7% but they are comparable. Also, this is the best win percentage for both individuals on different surfaces. By the age of 21, both of them had won 2 French Open each and looking to win a third. Recently, Serena Williams‘ childhood coach drew a parallel between Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal. He said, “The way Iga competes on the dirt she is ruthless locked in and locks you out. Her mindset is exactly like a Nadal.”

Iga Swiatek has declared that she is fit for the French Open 2023, and is seriously looking to defend her title and keep her No.1 position intact. Though she has a tough draw at the French Open, she looks indomitable.

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