Swiatek Has 'Potential To Be Like Nadal' According To Legend Navratilova

| by Zachary Wimer

According to former WTA player Martina Navratilova, Iga Swiatek has the chance to be like her idol Rafael Nadal if she keeps improving.

Swiatek is, according to the rankings, the best player in the world. And even by other metrics, she's likely the best player in the world, at least the one that most consistently shows her best level.

She's a four-time Grand Slam champion with two year-end finishes as number one, so clearly, she's doing something right. This year opened with an unbeaten showing at the United Cup, which only confirmed that she's truly the number one favourite to win the Australian Open.

Most of that is just because she's so good at tennis, but she could be even better. Former player Martina Navratilova drew parallels between Swiatek and her idol Nadal, who had similar weaknesses when he came up.

'He Didn't Behave Properly With Respect': Djokovic Makes U-Turn On Shelton Spat
'He Didn't Behave Properly With Respect': Djokovic Makes U-Turn On Shelton Spat

"How good will she [Iga Swiatek] be if she starts going forward? Ridiculous. I think she’s got the potential to be kind of like Nadal. She’s got those soft hands -- she just doesn’t seem confident to use them."

Navratilova to WTA on developing a net game

One thing that Navratilova thinks will benefit Swiatek is her curiosity. The Polish player already addressed some weaknesses, like the lack of drop shots. Funnily enough, Navratilova mentioned those in the past, and now she started doing them. It's all about improvement for Swiatek, so it's going to come.

"When Nadal came up, he was allergic to the net, didn’t have a slice. And then he developed all of that. I think she has such a curious mind and she’ll want to improve that."

Navratilova on Swiatek's improvement

"Hard to believe, but she’s got a lot of places she can get better. Her so-called weaknesses can become strengths. Not backing away from the net, she can be even more dominant."

16-Year-Old Fruhvirtova Writes History With First-Round Win At Australian Open
16-Year-Old Fruhvirtova Writes History With First-Round Win At Australian Open

Read the full article

Just in

Look at more articles