Iga Swiatek: Next Polish superstar?
- Thread starter Keizer
- Start date
bluetrain4
G.O.A.T.
She's sort of the ONLY superstar with Barty retiring. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of other great players, but I was looking at the expected post-French Top 15-20 and other than Iga, there's NO ONE who is a "star" in the sense that they're a level above in talent and/or accomplishments to a degree where you'd be surprised they were upset in an earlier round. Only Iga would send shock waves at this point.
Many people like this broad parity. I prefer a pecking order, with a fairly well-defined upper tier of players - all of whom you'd be surprised if they lost early (at least to most players they could meet early). Kontaveit (who lost in the first round of the French) is the new No 2. Would I have any sort of "wow!" reaction if she lost in the first or second round of Wimbledon, even if she is the second seed? Absolutely not.
Many people like this broad parity. I prefer a pecking order, with a fairly well-defined upper tier of players - all of whom you'd be surprised if they lost early (at least to most players they could meet early). Kontaveit (who lost in the first round of the French) is the new No 2. Would I have any sort of "wow!" reaction if she lost in the first or second round of Wimbledon, even if she is the second seed? Absolutely not.
James P
G.O.A.T.
Somebody said this week that there are effectively 15 #2 players in the world, it's Iga and this mess of ladies that all rotate and get a turn nearby.
Dolgopolov85
G.O.A.T.
Hush, you're gonna trigger Darcy. Anyway, she's gonna soon win a third and then a fourth slam too. I suppose any remaining doubters can pretend she will go the Muguruza way but it is apparent already that there is nothing streaky or flukey about Iga. That she is able to win in straight sets even on her B game. That's what great winning streaks are built on. And it's going to take a while for someone on the tour to put their hand up and become her arch rival. So Iga is here to stay. The WTA's best bet in a long time for a Venus/Henin level ATG.
Keizer
Hall of Fame
Safe to say nobody expected she would obtain these results. Definitely helped by a subpar field, but as @Dolgopolov85 says above, she has somehow managed to win matches playing her B game, which is the hallmark of champions across eras. While she did win junior wimbledon, the less predictable bounces in the earlier rounds will challenge her hug-the-baseline style. However, if she can hold on until the grass wears out in the second week, I really can’t see many people troubling her on grass either. This is setting up to be a historic season.
I also like the dedication she brings to the WTA. Not a part-time player like Osaka and Barty. Uses social media but not obsessed with it like a lot of other young talents. Let’s hope she sets a standard that forces the entire tour to up their game and brings the WTA back to the level it reached in the 2000s as a new generation of young talents make the transition from juniors.
I also like the dedication she brings to the WTA. Not a part-time player like Osaka and Barty. Uses social media but not obsessed with it like a lot of other young talents. Let’s hope she sets a standard that forces the entire tour to up their game and brings the WTA back to the level it reached in the 2000s as a new generation of young talents make the transition from juniors.
ttwreader
Hall of Fame
The big change with Iga this year is her mindset, and that is thank to her new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski. Prior to this year, she usually over analyzed her opponents before matches and tried to adapt to her opponent playing styles. That caused stress and doubts, and she usually couldn't bring her strengths into the matches. Her new coach convinced her to play her game, bringing to the matches what she does best, giving pressure on her opponents from the start of the match until the end. They also work a lot on match management, breaking matches into more manageable chunks, using various brain-training tools and technology to increase Iga's ability of playing in zone... as well as breathing exercises, visualization,...
Her 2020 win was just a surprise because she was a nobody then. Her 2022 win is a different level because she is now in broad daylight and the one to beat. Her current streak is great but it can come to an end soon, maybe the next match and she is well aware of it. She used to cry a lot in the past when losing matches but it's different now: "It's just a tennis match, you can win or lose."
Her 2020 win was just a surprise because she was a nobody then. Her 2022 win is a different level because she is now in broad daylight and the one to beat. Her current streak is great but it can come to an end soon, maybe the next match and she is well aware of it. She used to cry a lot in the past when losing matches but it's different now: "It's just a tennis match, you can win or lose."
UnderratedSlam
G.O.A.T.
Yeah, it's pretty certain this isn't a Mug-Ooruza story in development, no chance.
Not saying she will win 10 either. We don't know how things will go, but at the moment she seems to be crushing it, as you said even her A game does not have to be there always, which is the biggest advantage she has.
brinkeguthrie
Hall of Fame
Would love to see a long term rivalry between Eeega Sweetie and Naomi.
James P
G.O.A.T.
Halba
Hall of Fame
not ATG material. even Rybakina might have a better career
Rybakina had 2 great tournaments and she is 23 so I would be careful with such statements. She is like Ostapenko, hit or miss.
Keizer
Hall of Fame
Rybakina? The list of one slam winners who never got to 3 slams is very long, my friend.
Still weak to big hitters on hard imo.
fundrazer
G.O.A.T.
Rybakina hasn't shown even half of the consistency that Iga has. Rybakina serves 70% first serves in one match and sub 50% the next, on top of having the groundstroke consistency of most other bashers.
And this is coming from someone who likes Rybakina.
Friedman Whip
Professional
I was hoping to see a bit more progress in the AO from my friend Iga but I didn't see much if any. Specifically have been looking for stronger and more consistent flat first serve. She hit a few but not many. Also would like to see some more low slice, even offensive, slice shots, a la Ash Barty. And maybe more net play. I mean I love her but she (and apparently her coach) just seems to want to see her out bash everybody she plays. You can hardly argue with what she has done so far but like she says herself there's plenty of improvement to be made. Whatever happens I'm with her 100%.
Last edited:
Zetty
Hall of Fame
She has three slams at 21, are you not well?
spystud
Talk Tennis Guru
spystud
Talk Tennis Guru
She is kind of right here, I don’t get the whole hate because she hit the ball to the ground out of frustration. Just next day Andreeva hit the ball hard in the stands towards people out of frustration and nobody really mentiones that. Sabalenka smashing number of rackets after AO final was fine too. Just looks like „let’s find a bad thing Iga did” just to pick on her.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
Her comments in post 226 seem a bit tone deaf in blaming everyone else for judging her and forming their own opinions of her behavior even though she is making a lot of money in the public eye as an entertainer. It would have been better if she had said that she lost her poise under match stress, apologized to the ball boy and said she will never do something like that again.
Carax
Hall of Fame
Friedman Whip
Professional
Bill Lobsalot
Hall of Fame
While a great tennis player, she doesn't have the charisma to be a "star". Djokovic doesn't have it either. Nadal had hit, and Federer had it in spades.
Similar threads
- Poll
