Former American tennis player Pam Shriver recently gave her take on Iga Swiatek winning the Calendar Year Golden Slam.
Shriver is a tennis great who completed the Calendar Slam in doubles alongside Martina Navratilova in 1984. The pair won all four Grand Slams as well as the doubles gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Shriver has won 21 doubles Grand Slams and one mixed doubles title. She is currently a tennis broadcaster, pundit and coach.
However, the American couldn't achieve the Calendar Year Golden Slam. This refers to when a player wins all four Grand Slams and the Olympic Gold medal in the same calendar year. Steffi Graf is the only player to have ever achieved this feat, doing so in 1988.
During an X Spaces (formerly Twitter Spaces) interaction, Shriver was asked what the chances are that Iga Swiatek would win the Calendar Year Golden Slam.
"What do you think the chances are that Iga wins the golden calendar year slam this year?," questioned a participant.
Shriver was prompt in saying that the chance of the World No. 1 doing so is very slim.
"I’d say one percent. Maybe, I’d give five percent. Look, there is a reason why it’s only been done once. That was obviously Steffi Graf '88," she replied.
Iga Swiatek has a good chance of winning the Olympic gold medal as this year's competition will be played at Stade Roland Garros. This is a familiar hunting ground for the Pole, who has won the French Open three times.
However, Swiatek may not be the favorite going into the grass season, especially Wimbledon, as she is still finding her feet on the surface. Her best finish at SW19 was when she made the quarterfinals last year.
The four-time Grand Slam champion will also likely face stiff challenges from Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and the returning Naomi Osaka on hardcourts.
Iga Swiatek's start to 2024 season
Iga Swiatek started the 2024 season with Team Poland at the United Cup.
She defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia in straight sets in her first match. The Pole then paired up with Hubert Hurkacz to defeat Haddad Maia and Marcelo Melo to complete a 3-0 victory over Brazil.
The World No. 1 then defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-2, 6-1 to level the tie against Spain. Swiatek and Hurkacz paired up again to defeat the Spanish team 6-0, 6-0 to win the tie 2-1.
Team Poland finished first in Group A and reached the quarterfinals, where they will take on China.
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