Martina Navratilova has high hopes for Iga Swiatek’s “so-called weaknesses” emulating Rafael Nadal’s greatness with just a little nudge

Iga Swiatek is opening her campaign against Sofia Kenin.

Martina Navratilova has high hopes for Iga Swiatek’s “so-called weaknesses” emulating Rafael Nadal’s greatness with just a little nudge

Martina Navratilova, Iga Swiatek (Images via Fox News, Times Now)

Martina Navratilova has talked about Iga Swiatek‘s weaknesses and turning them into her strengths. The American tennis legend also drew a comparison with Rafael Nadal and said that Swiatek can turn her so-called weaknesses into strengths just like the Spanish legend did early on in his career.

While previewing the 2024 Australian Open women’s singles draw, Navratilova said that Swiatek will become an unbeatable force if she starts going forward. The 67-year-old said that there are quite a few areas where she can improve as a player.

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How good will she be if she starts going forward? Ridiculous. I think she’s got the potential to be kind of like [Rafael] Nadal. She’s got those soft hands -- she just doesn’t seem confident to use them. When Nadal came up, he was allergic to the net, didn’t have a slice. And then he developed all of that.
Martina Navratilova said to WTA.
I think she has such a curious mind and she’ll want to improve that. Hard to believe, but she’s got a lot of places she can get better. Her so-called weaknesses can become strengths. Not backing away from the net, she can be even more dominant.
The 18-time Grand Slam champion said.

Iga Swiatek among the favorites to win the title in Melbourne

Although there are some areas Iga Swiatek needs to work on, the Polish ace is a title favorite in Melbourne. Martina Navratilova has also picked the 21-year-old to challenge Elena Rybakina in the title run.

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Iga Swiatek in action (Image via Imago)

The Polish ace has started her 2024 season on a high. Swiatek won all her singles matches at the 2024 United Cup. She is on a 16-match winning streak and is expected to continue her dominance at the Australian Open. Swiatek will open her campaign against Sofia Kenin.

The Polish ace is excited to meet Kenin in the opening round of the year’s first Grand Slam. The Pole is thrilled to discover that she is playing the same player in the first round whom she played against in her first Grand Slam final. 

It kind of strikes me sometimes that my first Grand Slam final was against Sofia and now we're playing in the first round. It's pretty weird. That's how our life journeys kind of went apart. I know she's been playing some solid tennis. She was playing in Abu Dhabi. It's not going to be easy. I'll just get prepared the same way as usual
Iga Swiatek said ahead of her game. (H/T: Reuters)

Iga Swiatek will be the favorite against Kenin when the two players meet on Tuesday.

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