'Not surprised' - Mats Wilander hails 'complete player' Iga Swiatek as No. 1 in waiting after shock Ash Barty retirement

Mats Wilander has said he is «not surprised» that «complete player» Iga Swiatek is set to take over as the world No. 1 after Ashleigh Barty's shock retirement. Barty was tipped to dominate for the next decade after ending a 44-year wait for a home winner at the Australian Open, with Eurosport expert Wilander believing she could win 10 more Grand Slams after taking women’s tennis to the “next level”.

Ad/> However, the three-time major winner announced on Wednesday she was leaving the sport to “chase other dreams”. Tennis'Love of the game!' — Barty different to 'freaks' like Federer, Serena and Nadal, says Wilander17 HOURS AGO Current world No. 2 Swiatek, 20, is in pole position to replace Barty at the WTA summit, with the 2020 French Open champion requiring just a single win at the Miami Open this week to seal her spot at the top.

Swiatek faces world No. 42 Viktorija Golubic in her opening test in Miami on Friday evening, and Wilander has said she has everything in her game to be a distinguished world No. 1.

«She [Swiatek] is ready for that [being world No. 1] because she won Roland-Garros and she won it easily without dropping a single set,» Wilander told Eurosport. «She has done well in the other Grand Slams.

She has been preparing herself to be in the spotlight of professional tennis for a long time, and the reason I would say that is that she has been travelling with a psychologist sometimes. She is very close to that part of her tennis, which is part of life, and that is to mentally be ready. »In your mind, you are available to try and solve problems.

It is a problem-solving situation: in tennis, and life is too. You are not going to make the right choices all the time. /> «You are not going to solve all the