Swiatek 'nowhere near the favorite' at Wimbledon according to Patrick McEnroe

Although she has been dominant for the bulk of the 2023 season, Iga Swiatek is not considered the favorite to lift the Wimbledon trophy, according to Patrick McEnroe.

The Polish star recently captured her third French Open title last week in Paris, and currently sits more than 900 points clear of World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka. However, McEnroe believes that Swiatek is not a contender for the title at SW19 due to her limited expertise on grass.

Read also

2023 Wimbledon Prize Money and Points Breakdown ATP & WTA with record £44,700,000 on offer

"Iga Swiatek hasn't played that well yet at Wimbledon, but I do suspect with her athleticism she can take the ball early, but can she cut the ball off well enough on grass?" said McEnroe on his The Hiding Court Podcast. "That remains to be seen. She is nowhere near the favorite that she was in Paris. In fact not even the favorite."

The World No.1 fell to Alize Cornet in the third round last year, and only has 15 career tour-level matches on grass under her belt. Her inexperience and the form of other players in the draw led McEnroe to believe reigning champion Elena Rybakina and Arya Sabalenka as tournament favorites.

Read also

2023 Wimbledon WTA Entry List including Swiatek, Rybakina, Sabalenka, Pegula and Gauff (Update - 26-06)

"Rybakina will certainly enter Wimbledon as probably the favorite I'd say, Sabalenka of course has played well in England, losing in the finals against Barty a couple of years ago," he added. "She'll also be dangerous. But I think you have to say Rybakina is the favorite and Sabalenka the second favorite,"

Wimbledon

@Wimbledon

·Follow

The queen of Paris once again 🇵🇱 @iga_swiatek comes through an epic against Karolina Muchova for her third title at #RolandGarros

2.0K

Reply

Copy link

Read 33 replies