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Despite Iga Swiatek finishing the 2023 season as the World No. 1, Patrick Mouratoglou is of the opinion that there was less room between her and other WTA players this year as compared to 2022. The Frenchman, in fact, is of the opinion that the Pole has "a lot of doubts" that become exposed when she is threatened.
Speaking on Instagram, Mouratoglou commented on the fight between Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka all year. He said that the Belarusian, who showed a lot of improvement from 2022, was dangerous to Swiatek throughout the season.
Sabalenka ascended to the World No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career after the US Open. However, she lost the ranking in the very last match of 2023, as Iga Swiatek defeated Jessica Pegula in the final of the WTA Finals to regain the top spot.
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Regardless, Mouratoglou claimed that Swiatek's confidence is not as rock-solid as it used to be, based on the matches she lost through the year. One of the most notable among those losses, according to Mouratoglou, was the one against Coco Gauff in Cincinnati. It was Gauff's first win against the 22-year-old after seven failed attempts.
"There is less room between her and the other players. This year, we have to realise that Sabalenka did an incredible job. She improved a lot. She is very dangerous, and she threatened Iga a lot,” Mouratoglou said, as quoted by Tennis Majors.
"She lost to Coco before the US Open. Of course it played a role, because it hurt her confidence. I feel that Iga is someone who has a lot of doubts. But she takes doubts away with work, and work brings victories. But when she starts to be threatened, when she starts to be beaten a few times, it affects her confidence a lot," he said.
The Frenchman added, however, that Iga Swiatek is still dominant over the rest of field, as evidenced by the fact that she ended the season as World No. 1 and with one of the four Grand Slams (French Open).
“That’s why this year was more difficult, because Sabalenka really hurt her this year. It hurt her confidence a little bit, compared to last year when she was so dominant,” Patrick Mouratoglou said.
"She still ends the season with a Slam and the WTA Finals win, and being No 1 in the world, so I think we can still talk about dominance. But it’s not as much as before. Now, the other players feel they can beat her. The year before, not so much,” he added.
"Iga Swiatek works on every aspect of her game with the same intensity and the same quality" - Patrick Mouratoglou
Patrick Mouratoglou lavished further praise on Iga Swiatek, hailing her dedication and professionalism. The Frenchman believes that the World No. 1 works on all aspects of her game with the same intensity and focus -- which he referred to as her "No. 1 quality."
"Her No. 1 quality is her focus and her ability to produce every day the same quality. She is someone who is extremely professional, extremely dedicated to tennis and focused on her career," Mouratoglou said.
“She works on everything… she works on every aspect of her game with the same intensity and the same quality,” he added.
