Iga Swiatek 'like Novak Djokovic' but 'she can go off the rails' says former pro Mary Joe Fernandez

20.02.2023 - 14:19 eurosport.com

Two-time Grand Slam champion Mary Joe Fernandez has given her views on the career trajectories of WTA Tour stars Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.

Both Swiatek and Gauff suffered very disappointing fourth-round defeats at the Australian Open, to Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko respectively, with each having held realistic ambitions of going all the way at Melbourne Park.

Ad The Pole already has three Grand Slam titles to her name and will be seeking a third crown at Roland-Garros this year, having already established herself as the consistent world No.

1. Gauff, meanwhile, reached the final at the French Open last year and is still just 18 years old. Tennis'A mixture of both' – Djokovic's ex-coach says he has the best qualities of Nadal and Federer14/02/2023 AT 19:39 Asked about both players in a conversation with Patrick McEnroe, Fernandez provided her thoughts on both players, starting with her comparing Swiatek with the men's No.

tennis athletics Elena Rybakina Iga Swiatek Jessica Pegula Jelena Ostapenko France Australia county Park

INDIAN WELLS: World number one Iga Swiatek launched her bid for a rare Indian Wells repeat with a convincing 6-0, 6-1 victory over 56th-ranked American Claire Liu on Saturday. Neither Liu nor the breezy conditions on Stadium Court troubled Swiatek, who is seeking to become just the second woman — after Martina Navratilova in 1990-91 — to sucessfully defend her title at the prestigious combined WTA and ATP Masters 1000 hard court tournament. Swiatek roared through the first set, winning 25 of 32 points.

Iga Swiatek may not dominate tennis like Serena Williams or Steffi Graf, reckons Mats Wilander

Iga Swiatek may not dominate tennis like legends of the game Serena Williams or Steffi Graf, believes Mats Wilander, as he highlighted a style of opponent that is causing the world No. 1 problems.

Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur aim to get back on track at Indian Wells

They were the two standout players on the WTA Tour last season, featuring in three of the four Grand Slam finals between them, leading the rankings, and amassing more match wins than anyone else.

Iga Swiatek says expectation on her has risen ahead of Indian Wells - 'A target on my back'

Iga Swiatek says there is a «target on her back» ahead of Indian Wells this year and admits she is feeling more pressure heading into the tournament than in previous editions. The Pole enjoyed a remarkable 2022 where she won a total of eight titles, including two of the four Grand Slams, and went on a 37-match winning streak. Last April she became world No.

Iga Swiatek has ‘target on her back’ and is ‘still the player to beat’ says Chris Evert ahead of Indian Wells

Eurosport expert Chris Evert believes Iga Swiatek has “a target on her back” and is still “the player to beat” on the WTA Tour. This year has been a mixed season for Swiatek as she lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Elena Rybakina, came back in February with a dominant week at the Qatar Open to win her first title of 2023, but then lost in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships. Ad It is coming up to a year since Swiatek turned world No.

Indian Wells draw: Andy Murray and Carlos Alcaraz in same section, Emma Raducanu and Iga Swiatek could meet

Andy Murray, Dan Evans and Jack Draper have been drawn in the same section as top seed Carlos Alcaraz for Indian Wells. Evans will join the tournament in the second round, since he is among the top-32 seeds, and could face Draper in his first match. Ad The winner of that would play Murray, if the three-time Grand Slam champion beats Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Pablo Carreno Busta.