Krajicek praises 'Unbelievable' Swiatek ahead of Wimbledon Next Week
WTA
Iga Swiatek is in the middle of an extraordinary winning run that has generated deserved praise worldwide. 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek is among those who have expressed his admiration for the Pole.
Swiatek's incredible winning streak stands at 35 matches. The latest was at the French Open when she defeated Coco Gauff to claim her second title at Roland-Garros and her second Grand Slam overall.
Extending her run at Wimbledon will be difficult. Grass is the world's No. 1's least favorite surface, and her success at SW19 during her professional career to date has been limited.
However, Swiatek won the 2018 Wimbledon Girls' singles title as a junior player. Some may have expected grass to be her favourite surface as a professional player after that, but the opposite is now true.
Regardless, Krajicek is a significant fan of Swiatek's. He is particularly impressed by the two-time French Open champion's mentality and how she manages the small details that often decide close matches.
"She’s unbelievable – big game and, yeah, the mentality is important. It decides a lot of matches. Of course you have to be able to play but then when it’s really close, it’s always small things that make the difference. How do you handle the bad bounces you get – literally but also figuratively?"- Richard Krajicek
The 1996 Wimbledon champion elaborated his point further by comparing Swiatek to himself. Krajicek admitted he often focused too much on what went wrong on the court rather than staying focused like Swiatek.
"During the match, there’s always little unexpected setbacks or disappointments. If you keep lingering in it then it’s going to harm you, even beyond that point. And it’s easier said than done – I have been a player and also sometimes I lingered too long in bad points or missed opportunities, but that’s a lot of times the difference between the very top and the people below it."
