A few days ago, Iga ¦wiątek was chosen the Best Sportsman of Poland in 2022. The 21-year-old won with a very large advantage over the rest of the field, which is not surprising, because she dominated the world courts last year. He will soon start competing in the Australian Open Grand Slam. This will be the first full tennis season without Ash Barty. Despite this, the comparisons of the Australian and Iga Świątek are endless.
John McEnroe on Iga Świątek. Big words. He compared her to a legend
Former tennis player John McEnroe noted in an interview with Eurosport that Świątek had to face a rather difficult situation a year ago, which was the end of Barty’s career. – I remember how at the beginning of the year suddenly Iga became number 1 in the world because Ash Barty announced her retirement. I was wondering how she’s going to handle this situation now? And she did it so well. It was simply outstanding – he said and added: – The absence of this rival, Ash Barty, hurts tennis and Iga Świątek herself.
The American noted that the end of the career of the 25-year-old Australian was unexpected for the entire environment. “When Ash Barty retired, it was obviously a shock because she was a young woman who had won Wimbledon and then won the Australian Open. Everyone thought he would go and win the US Open too.
– I believe that it “hurts” the sport. There are reasons we don’t know about, but I hope everyone is doing their best so that the players have full comfort during travel and competitions – he added, ending the thread of the Australian champion.
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McEnroe also did not hide his admiration for the leader of the WTA ranking, who has had a great season. The expert had no doubts and compared her to a great male tennis star. “She’s by far the best tennis player right now, she’s a great athlete. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player that young slide into the corners of the pitch, it reminds me a bit of Novak Djokovic.
Although, according to the 63-year-old, the Polish woman will not repeat last year’s record of 37 wins in a row, she will still be a firm favorite in each of the tournaments. – I think she has to be careful with planning her shows. I suspect that she will not be able to win 37 matches in a row, because the rivals will now do everything to beat her. But I will be very surprised if he doesn’t win a few more slams.”
The Australian Open starts on Monday, January 16. This will be the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
