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Popular tennis journalist Jon Wertheim recently spoke about Iga Swiatek's chances of winning the 2024 edition of the Australian Open.
The Australian Open is less than a week away, and all the tennis stars are gearing up for the tournament. With warm-up tournaments such as the Brisbane International, ASB Classic in Auckland and the United Cup over, the players - including World No. 1 Iga Swiatek - now have their eyes set on the first Grand Slam of the year.
In a recent Tennis Channel podcast, American journalist Jon Wertheim was asked about the odds of Iga Swiatek winning the Australian Open. He expressed his doubts about the Pole being the "prohibitive favorite" for the Happy Slam, stating that Swiatek has never been in the final of the tournament and that she is susceptible to the heat of the Australian summer.
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"We all love Iga, but for a player who has never been to a final in Australia and is susceptible to heat, with only one semifinal, I am not sure if I would make her a prohibitive favorite, but the numbers are numbers," Werthiem said. (19:45)
Swiatek, who has never won the Australian Open, is coming into the 2024 edition in fine form. At the just-concluded United Cup, she contributed massively to her country, Poland, reaching the final. However, they were defeated by Germany in the summit clash.
Last season, Swiatek won six titles and had a win/loss record of 68-11.
A look at Iga Swiatek's best performance at the Australian Open
The 21-year-old Pole has had quite a successful career already. Swiatek has maintained the World No. 1 spot on the WTA rankings for a cumulative total of 85 weeks. She has also won four Grand Slam titles.
Despite this success, she has been unable to secure a victory at the Australian Open, where her best showing was reaching the semifinal in 2022.
During the 2022 edition of the Australian Open, Swiatek began by defeating Harriet Dart in the first round. She then beat Rebecca Peterson, Daria Kasatkina and Sorana Cirstea in the second, third and fourth rounds respectively.
In the quarterfinal, the Pole defeated Estonia's Kaia Kanepi in three sets. However, Swiatek was ultimately knocked out by American Danielle Collins, losing 4-6, 1-6 in the semifinal.
In the 2023 edition, Iga Swiatek was eliminated in the 4th round by eventual finalist Elena Rybakina. Aryna Sabalenka defeated Rybakina in the final to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title.
