Iga Swiatek never beat herself – it’s mind-blowing,’ says WTA legend

Martina Navratilova believes Iga Swiatek is ‘never going to beat herself,’ and that consistency is what makes her so successful.

Swiatek has firmly established herself as the top women’s player on the planet since Ash Barty retired earlier this year.

She won a second French Open in June and backed that up with a first hardcourt major at the US Open. In total, she has won eight WTA titles in 2022 and she has barely even looked beatable for much of the season.

“She’s got pretty compact strokes, even though she puts a lot of topspin on that forehand,” Navratilova explained.

“It’s not a massive swing, so she can deal with the faster court. Growing up in Poland, she probably would have practiced a lot on faster courts so she can adapt to that.

“If it’s slow, great, the topspin will pay off for her. I can’t go against her because she’s never going to beat herself.”

Iga Swiatek will be most people’s favourite to cap off an amazing year with a the WTA Finals title in Fort Worth, and Navratilova is no different.

“[Swiatek] won two of the four majors, and the rest of it is just mind-blowing,” she said.

“When I had a great year, at the year-end championships, you relaxed. It’s ‘I had a great year, I don’t have to prove anything.’

“She’s had a couple of weeks off. There’s absolutely no pressure on her, so she could play probably the most free tennis of anybody there.”

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