‘She is in a really good headspace,’ Mats Wilander believes the top seeds falling out won’t affect Iga Swiatek, calls her ‘predictable’ on clay courts
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Iga Swiatek
World No.1 Iga Swiatek has been the most dominant player on tour this year. She has shown the consistency that was unseen in women’s tennis for years. She reached the semifinal of the Australian Open and then won her maiden WTA 1000 title on hardcourts at Doha. She hasn’t looked back since then. She completed the Sunshine Double by winning at Indian Wells and Miami and then started her clay-court season by winning the Stuttgart Open.
She then defended her Italian Open title without dropping a single set. She continued her dominance in Paris and is into the second week comfortably where she’ll face Qinwen Zheng in the fourth round. 7-time grand slam champion Mats Wilander believes that Swiatekis becoming a bigger favorite with each match she plays. Speaking on Eurosport, he added that with other top seeds falling out, things are easier on paper but it shouldn’t affect Swiatek as she’s in a really good headspace.
“She is becoming the bigger and bigger favorite every match she plays,” Wilander said. “Yes, when the other women from the top 10 are falling out of the tournament, on paper it makes it easier. But I don’t think Iga is in that headspace. She is in a really good headspace where she is playing her opponent and it does not matter if you are ranked 10, 11, or 12.”
‘She has won 31 matches in a row and is very predictable’: Mats Wilander on Iga Swiatek
Wilander said that things have been very unpredictable in women’s tennis in the last few years and Swiatek comes across as the most predictable one, especially on clay, which might not be the best thing for her.
“There are some big hitters around, but it is women’s tennis in the last five, six years and it is very unpredictable,” Wilander said. “But the most predictable player we have had in the last few years is Iga Swiatek. She has won 31 matches in a row and is very predictable, especially on a clay court.”
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Lakshya Chopra
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