Former doubles WTA legend Pam Shriver always believes Iga Swiatek to be a contender because she's world number one, after all.
Becoming world number one doesn't happen by chance, and it certainly didn't happen by chance for Swiatek. Many hold the Ashleigh Barty retirement against Swiatek as if it's her fault the Australian retired and left a vacancy at the top.
She still took it with an impressive 37-match winning streak, and nobody can really dispute that. Swiatek also achieved a lot since then to confirm her status as the best player in the world, including winning the WTA Finals last year, which allowed her to return to the top spot.
For former player Pam Shriver, there is no doubt. She is rightfully the number one player in the world and she'll always be a contender at any event she plays, especially the Indian Wells.
"I always see her as a contender, of course. She’s No.1, but it’s only natural it is starting to get a harder for Iga to stay there as we saw last year. But let's not forget the dominant runs she has strung together, including a 37-match win streak in 2022 that included titles in Indian Wells and Miami. As the top player, you're always a target."
Swiatek didn't have the most brilliant start to her campaign, as she lost quite early at the Australian Open. Shriver was there in Australia and saw how high her level potentially could be.
That's why Swiatek's 2023 campaign is even better than the 2022 campaign: She still came out on top despite many players stepping up as well.
"I was in Australia a couple months ago when she went three sets with Danielle Collins and lost to Linda Noskova. While it was a surprise, my feeling is the depth in women’s tennis is at its best, from No.10 to No.100, maybe more than No.2-10, so these upsets might become more frequent."
0 Comments