French Open: The unrivalled, Iga Swiatek

Only Serena Williams has dominated the WTA like Swiatek has which puts her in the bracket of a legend in the making, writes ETV Bharat's Ayushmaan Pandey.

Hyderabad:The tale begins in the fall of 2020 at Roland Garros. An unseeded Polish teenager swept her way through the French Open title beating a much-accomplished opponent in Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-1.

Back then, Iga Swiatek had said, "Even though you're really young and you're an underdog, you can do a lot in a sport like tennis."

Almost 19 months later, Swiatek's game and life have transformed dramatically. She is now ranked number one in the world. With a 28-match winning streak, the youngest player to have won the French Open at 19 since Monica Sales in 1992 is rolling over her opponents. She has almost achieved everything a fast-rising player can. From five consecutive titles that include four WTA 1000 events to 28 match steak, the 20-year-old has done it all.

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Only Serena Williams has dominated the WTA like Swiatek has which puts her in the bracket of a legend in the making.

At the presser ahead of the French Open, when ETV Bharat questioned what makes Swiatek so special, Indian Tennis player Purav Raja, was quick to respond: "She has evolved immensely".

"There are so many things that she does that are unseen in the women's game. It's amazing to watch her progress so much."

Tennis analyst Mary Carillo adeptly describes her to the WTA website. "It’s sort of like watching a lion on the savannah, stalking a zebra."

"In the beginning, it looks competitive. You're like, 'Go, zebra. Looking good, looking, smooth.' And then within a couple of games you're there like, 'All right, pick up the pace, zebra.' And then, finally, it's like, 'Oh, yeah.'"

Swiatek is fierce, unrivalled at the moment, and enters French Open with her confidence sky-high.

"There are two things. Iga has won the French Open in 2020. The only difference was she was ranked 50 (54) when she won it. She is a champion and she knows how to go about it," Purav added.

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However, her winning steak has been questioned with 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams injured forcing her to opt-out of competitive tennis, four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka on hiatus where she chose to prioritize her mental health, and Australia's Ashleigh Barty skipping events and retiring eventually.

And Swiatek agrees.

"I'm absolutely aware that if Ash Barty were still on the Tour, it would have been a lot harder and complicated to be able to win games and tournaments. When she decided to retire, I had the strong and immediate belief that I have the best tennis on the circuit right now; and that was what I focused on," she said.

But Purav concedes that Swiatek still deserves all the credit as she can only beat who she plays.

"One of the reasons why we are questioning her ability is because she didn't have Osaka to beat or a Williams to defeat or a Barty to win these tournaments. She has still won 28 matches in a row and we have to give her the credit she deserves."

An overwhelming favourite to win the title, her game, especially her forehand is said to one of the most feared shot in world Tennis which has been compared with greats like Rafael Nadal and Steffi Graf.

"She is unbelievable at the back of the court. She does things that no one else can do. Look at how heavy she hits that forehand and the way she moves on the court and her serve," he said.

Come Sunday, Swiatek will enthrall the lovers of the game with her ferocious forehand and speed that she generates.

"There are so many things that she does that are unseen in the women's game. It's amazing to watch her. She already had the ability, she is doing day in and day out now."

Watch Roland-Garros 2022 from May 22, 2022, LIVE on SONY SIX, SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels.