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Former World No. 1 Mats Wilander has given his verdict on Iga Swiatek’s dominance on the WTA tour, stating that he doesn't think anyone can surpass her anytime soon.
The Swedish former tennis player recently appeared on the Kick Serve Radio.com podcast, where he was asked to choose the player with the most impressive year between the World No. 1's, Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion picked Swiatek and credited her for her 37-match winning streak - the highest by a player in the WTA this century. He also lauded her efforts at the Majors this year. The Pole added two Slams to her tally at Roland Garros and her first on hardcourts at the US Open.
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“I think that Iga Swiatek with 37 wins in a row on two different continents, on two different surfaces, I think, yeah, I think you got to hand it to her, especially as she won now two (Grand Slams),” he remarked.
Wilander further made a bold prediction regarding the Pole’s 2023 season, stating that she is very unlikely to have any competition for the World No. 1 ranking. He also confidently voiced that Iga Swiatek is likely to win two more Grand Slams in the coming year.
"I think that Iga – I’m going to be (the one to) make the first prediction – I think that Iga Swiatek will easily stay the number one in the world at the end of next year. I think she’ll pick up another two Slams, and I don’t see any woman even close to her," he said.
21-year-old Swiatek has currently accumulated three Grand Slam titles – two at the French Open (2020, 2022) and one at the US Open (2022). With 10,365 ranking points, the World No. 1 stands comfortably ahead of the World No. 2 Ons Jabeur, who has garnered 5090 points this season.
“The U.S. Open felt like the first tournament since Roland Garros where I felt very free” – Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek extended her already massive ranking points lead by winning the 2022 US Open. After her victory, the Pole gave an interview to Vogue where she revisited her record-breaking streak. She also revealed that she had to let go of the mounting pressure and opt for a new strategy.
“The first part of the season was so amazing for me, and I was so consistent and had this winning streak. So after Roland Garros, I needed a few tournaments to let those feelings settle down and change my attitude a bit, and I feel like I managed to do that just before the U.S. Open,” she disclosed.
Swiatek also touched upon the fact that the conditions at the US Open were not favorable to her. She, however, mentioned that her success earlier in the year helped her to play more freely in New York.
“The conditions here (at Flushing Meadows) not being my favorite helped, because I realized that I had already done so much this year, and I didn’t really have anything left to chase. That allowed me to play more freely. The U.S. Open felt like the first tournament since Roland Garros where I felt very free,” she said.
