"No idea who is going to stand out": Iga Swiatek sees incoming rivals for WTA dominance as 'hard to predict' ahead of 2024

World No.1 Iga Swiatek has had almost a complete stranglehold on the top-ranked position on the WTA tour over the last two years, and the Polish star was uncertain on which players would battle her for her crown during the 2024 season.

Swiatek kicks off her 2024 season at the United Cup, which runs from December 29, 2023 till January 7, 2024. The reigning French Open champion faced pressure from other top-ranked stars including Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina during the 2023 season, which saw Swiatek win only one Grand Slam.

"It's honestly too hard to predict," said the four-time Grand Slam champion when asked who would be the next contender. "Yeah, it's impossible for me to know which. I mean, for the past years there has always been one player that was suddenly did a breakthrough and won a Grand Slam or was suddenly in top five. Obviously I think these three players that you mentioned, I feel like we are more consistent than the others.

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"I hope we're going to kind of save that consistency for next seasons, but I have no idea who is going to stand out. Ons is also a really consistent player when she's not injured. I guess it all depends on their preparation. The season can go in different ways, as well, in terms of the injuries. Hard to predict. We'll see."