"I'm looking forward to how good Iga Swiatek can be in the next years, like Serena Williams maybe" - Angelique Kerber

Angelique Kerber has stated that she is looking forward to seeing how Iga Swiatek will perform in the coming years, stating that only time will tell if she can be as good as Serena Williams.

Williams dominated the WTA tour for more than two decades. She won 23 Grand Slam titles and was ranked the World No. 1 for 319 weeks, including a joint-record 186 consecutive weeks.

The American tennis great called time on her career in 2022 and was last seen in action at the US Open that year, where she made a third-round exit after losing to Ajla Tomljanovic.

Swiatek, meanwhile, has been on the rise in recent years. She has clinched four Majors so far and has been at the top of the WTA rankings for a total of 85 weeks.

Former World No. 1 Kerber has had the experience of playing both Williams and Swaitek over the years. She trails both in the head-to-head stats, 6-3 against the former and 2-0 against the latter.

At a press conference ahead of the 2024 Australian Open, Kerber stated that it is not easy to compare players from different generations.

"I saw a lot of come and go. I think it's tough to compare all the players, everyone is completely different," she said.

The 35-year-old further stated that while both Williams and Swiatek are very good players, they have very different styles. She added that she was looking forward to how Swiatek develops in the coming years.

"Serena plays a completely different game than Iga. Of course, Iga plays her best tennis the last few years. She is on top over years right now. It is a tough opponent. I know her also very well off court. Yeah, I mean, she's only 22, 21. She has a lot of years ahead," she said with a smile.

"I'm also looking forward how she will go in the next few years, how good she can be in the next years, like Serena maybe. I mean, we will see," she added.

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With eye on maiden Australian Open title, Iga Swiatek takes on Sofia Kenin in Melbourne opener

Iga Swiatek during a training session ahead of the 2024 Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

Since first taking part in the Australian Open in 2019, Iga Swiatek's best performance Down Under has been a semifinal finish in 2022. While she has won four Grand Slam titles already, she has never held the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup to date.

This year, Swiatek heads into the tournament in good form, having won all five of her singles matches at the United Cup this month. The World No. 1 will get her Melbourne Major campaign with a clash against 2020 champion Sofia Kenin.

Swiatek and Kenin faced each other once before, in the 2020 French Open final, where the former won in straight sets.