It is unlikely that Iga Swiatek will get dethroned from her No.1 position anytime soon due to her consistency on the Tour, according to an 18-time major winner.
Martina Navratilova has backed the Pole to continue her dominant lead at the top of the standings when the new season officially gets underway later this week. Swiatek is currently more than 6000 points ahead of her nearest rival, Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, after what has been a triumphant year for her. The 21-year-old has won eight titles over the past 12 months, including both the French Open and US Open. Overall, she has won 67 out of 78 matches played and produced an impressive 15-2 winning record against top-10 opposition.
Swiatek’s rise in the sport has impressed Navratilova who is one of only three players to have held the No.1 position for 300 weeks or more in WTA history.
“I don’t see anybody knocking her off — because she’s so consistent.” Navratilova told wtatennis.com. “She wins majors — and she’s consistent. Usually, it’s one or the other. She’s got them both going on at the same time. I think to see if she’s making any changes, adding to her game again. This past year, she made more forays to the net, and it made a big difference.”
Navratilova believes Swiatek’s move towards the net is part of a growing trend in women’s tennis with more players starting to use the tactic. Earlier this year another former Grand Slam winner, Mats Wilander, praised Swiatek’s play at the net, saying during the French Open that she doesn’t have ‘any weakness’ in her game.
“I think you will see more players coming forward,” Navratilova continued. “Maria Sakkari also does that with her quickness and she puts those volleys away so easily. Barbora Krejcikova, with her doubles, is a good volleyer. They definitely need to get more aggressive with their positioning. Because the women move so well on the baseline and you have to play lights-out tennis to win. You don’t need to play lights-out if you move forward more.”
Swiatek will begin her 2023 campaign at the inaugural United Cup where she will be hoping to pick up a confidence boost ahead of the Australian Open. She reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park this year and overall has a win-loss record of 12-4 at the tournament.
