Iga Swiatek is the perfect example of an underdog who came into the WTA tour and swiped four Grand Slam titles. Being from a non-tennis country, she proved that love and passion for the sport is the first thing you need to succeed. Rest follows that. However, whenever a young WTA player performs well, comparisons always come into the picture. Will she be the next Serena Williams? And according to former world no. 1 Mats Wilander, Swiatek might not be the one.

Analyzing her recent performance, this is what Wilander has to say about the Polish tennis star…

Mats Wilander thinks Iga Swiatek can’t be the next Serena Williams 

The current World no. 1 has experienced some gut-wrenching defeats in 2023 and this has become a point of discussion for tennis experts. Similarly, former Swedish player Mats Wilander shared his insights on what he thinks about her tennis journey. Last year, she did amazing on the court breaking both Williams’ sister’s records of continuous match-winning streaks. Consequently, people assumed that she is going on the same path as Serena Williams.

However, in an interaction with Eurosport, Wilander begged to differ. He stated, “I think kind of the other way of what people are saying.”

He added, “I think it’s great for Iga to not be carrying around this pressure of being this next Graf or Serena that’s going to just dominate on all the different surfaces.”

He noted Swiatek can not dominate every surface like them. He stated, “Maybe she will struggle on the grass court, maybe struggle on a fast hard court, maybe against one style of player that can hit the ball hard.” 

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Swiatek lost to Jessica Pegula at the United Cup, then Elena Rybakina at the Australian Open, and then Barbora Krejcikova in the Dubai Championships finals. These losses must have taken a toll on the Polish tennis player’s confidence levels. However, Wilander also feels that once she regains her mental strength back, she can get back to her last year’s unbeatable self. But will she be the next Serena Williams? We don’t know yet…

Coco Gauff on not being the “next anyone”

The American teenage sensation Coco Gauff has cleared the fact that she is not the next Serena Williams. Her performance on the court is improving swiftly. However, she is not at that level and people keep on expecting her to be there.

Addressing the same issue, she stated Williams has inspired her to be a top-tier tennis player, but she is not ready to be “next anyone”. As for her, she does not want to fill in anyone’s shoes and eventually find a way for herself.

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Do you think it is fair for young tennis players to get compared to GOATs? Let us know in the comments below.