Iga Swiatek has never won the Australian Open in her young career, but that could change in the 2024 season.
Swiatek is one of the Top 5 favorites to win the women's edition in the year's first Grand Slam at Melbourne Park and will need to douse the challenge of as many as 128 women in the field who will aim for glory and a place in the history books.
Swiatek has been improving both mentally and physically and has already tweaked some aspects of her game at the United Cup, where she debuted a subtle change to her service motion.
The 22-year-old has won a Grand Slam in each of the last two seasons, and here are five reasons why she'll be the woman to beat at the 2024 Australian Open.
5. Unbeaten in 11 WTA matches
Iga Swiatek will head into the new season on an 11-match winning streak in Tour-level singles tournaments. After a shocking three-set defeat to Veronika Kudermetova in Tokyo at the end of September, Swiatek has picked up titles in Beijing and the WTA Finals, dropping just one set in both tournaments.
4. Constant need to improve
The Australian Open is Iga Swiatek's least productive Grand Slam after Wimbledon. However, she made the semifinal in 2022, which points to a growing belief that she is inching closer to getting her hands on the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup.
When she burst onto the scene at the 2020 Roland Garros, Swiatek was seen as a clay court specialist. But as years passed, she developed into an all-court threat with one of the best records on hard courts.
3. More prepared to be No. 1
In her first stint as World No. 1, Iga Swiatek reigned for 75 straight weeks but confessed to struggling with the baggage of pressure and security. But since reclaiming her spot from Aryna Sabalenka, Swiatek has learned a great deal from her mishaps and has put everyone on notice that she's "more prepared" to be in that coveted position ahead of the 2024 season.
2. Highest winning rate on hard courts in 2023
Iga Swiatek won 42 hard-court matches last season, one behind the WTA leader Jessica Pegula. But the Pole had the fewest defeats of any woman on tour last year, with eight, and finished the season with a higher winning rate of 84% on the surface.
1. Big-Stage Player
Since the start of the 2020 season, no woman has won more Grand Slams than Iga Swiatek, who has racked up four of tennis' most prestigious trophies. Additionally, Swiatek won more WTA titles than any other player in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. It would take a supreme performance to upstage the Pole on a grand stage like the Australian Open.
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