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Iga Swiatek Australian Open 2022
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Iga Swiatek ‘is a very complete player’ says Slam great


Iga Swiatek has ignited her charge for an illusive Sunshine Double by beating Switzerland’s Victorija Golubic 6-2, 6-0 in her opening match in Miami. 

With Swiatek claiming her maiden Indian Wells Masters title last week in California, it means she can become only the fourth woman in history to pull off the coveted Sunshine double (After Steffi Graf in 1994, 1996; Kim Clijsters in 2005 and Victoria Azarenka in 2016). Thanks to her routine second round win, she kept her hopes alive of completing the prestigious feat whilst simultaneously confirming that she will be mathematically the new World number one on the 4th April, once the rankings have been updated.

Iga Swaitek will replace the recently-retired Ash Barty at the top of the rankings becoming the first ever Polish player to achieve the feat. Earlier this week, three-time Grand Slam icon and reigning World number one Ash Barty sent shockwaves through the sporting world when she announced her decision to retire aged just 25 years old, at the peak of her powers.

At just 19 years old, the young Pole became the first ever Polish player to win a Grand Slam at the 2020 French Open. She has now become the first Polish player across both the Men’s and Women’s tours to become a singles World number one, aged 20.

Grand Slam legend Mats Wilander praised the new World number one saying it has came as ”no surprise”. Speaking to EuroSport he said, ”She [Swiatek] is ready for that [being world No. 1] because she won Roland-Garros and she won it easily without dropping a single set.”

“She has done well in the other Grand Slams. She has been preparing herself to be in the spotlight of professional tennis for a long time, and the reason I would say that is that she has been travelling with a psychologist sometimes. She is very close to that part of her tennis, which is part of life, and that is to mentally be ready. In your mind, you are available to try and solve problems. It is a problem-solving situation: in tennis, and life is too. You are not going to make the right choices all the time.”
“I think for Iga Swiatek, she definitely was a future world No. 1, and now it comes, most probably earlier than we had all expected, but she is very complete as a player. She was very mature as a player, and she is very willing to explore all the different options to become a better tennis player and to enjoy the sport more. So it is no surprise.”

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