Former world number one Martina Navratilova believes that Poland’s tennis star Iga Swiatek can improve her game if she can improve her net play.
The 22-year-old is regarded as the best player currently playing in the women’s singles category and has had a more than impressive time on the court in 2023, especially in the second half.
3 - With Iga Swiatek and Sofia Kenin set to meet, two GS winners will meet in R128 of the women's singles at the Australian Open for the third consecutive year, after 2022 (Raducanu v Stephens) and 2023 (Azarenka v Kenin). Matchup. #AusOpen | @AustralianOpen @WTA @WTA_insider
Navratilova was recently quoted in a report where she stated that Swiatek has the potential to become as good as Spain’s Rafael Nadal, only if she continues to improve her weaknesses which can become her strength in the future.
“How good will she [Swiatek] be if she starts going forward? Ridiculous,” said the 67-year-old. “I think she’s got the potential to be kind of like [Rafael] Nadal. She’s got those soft hands — she just doesn’t seem confident to use them.
“When Nadal came up, he was allergic to the net, didn’t have a slice. And then he developed all of that. I think she has such a curious mind and she’ll want to improve that. Hard to believe, but she’s got a lot of places she can get better. Her so-called weaknesses can become strengths. Not backing away from the net, she can be even more dominant.”
