Chris Evert says Iga Swiatek «has a target on her back» as the Pole «is still the player to beat» on the WTA Tour. Swiatek, ranked No. 1 in the world, has not been as convincing at the start of the 2023 season. Swiatek managed to win Doha with a total of five games lost during the tournament, but also earned a shock elimination in the round of 16 of the Australian Open and surprisingly lost to Barbora Krejcikova in the Dubai final.
Evert, a former 18-time Grand Slam champion, believes that when Swiatek loses, it’s usually because she can’t control the emotional part of her game.
Evert: Swiatek is still the player to beat on the WTA Tour
“We know that she has the game physically.
We know that she is a great competitor and a great athlete. She has wonderful tools and a wonderful set of tennis skills. But it seems that in the games that she has lost, that emotional part of her has been broken. [Novak] Djokovic is almost like a machine.
He goes out and, you know, he can have that tunnel vision and focus and not let his emotions get in the way. I think Iga has shown in some games that he has let his emotions take over. So she would have to be aware of that I think.
But she’s still the player to beat no matter what you say. She will lose from time to time, but she is still the player to beat and has a target on her back. No one understands the pressures of being number one unless you are number one.
Nobody understands that, and it takes a while to adjust,» Evert said. Eurosport’s Arnold Montgault. Meanwhile, Swiatek is ready to defend her Indian Wells title. Last year, Swiatek won her first title in the desert after defeating Maria Sakkari in the final.
This year, Swiatek is the top seed and has a first-round bye in Indian Wells. After a first round bye, Swiatek plays the winner of the match between Alison van Uytvanck and Claire Liu.
