"I don't like when I see her crying after she loses" - Mary Joe Fernandez expresses concern for Iga Swiatek
Former WTA Top-10 player Mary Joe Fernandez recently raised some concerns about World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, claiming that she isn't a fan of her crying following a defeat.
Swiatek had a stellar 2022 season, winning 67 out of 76 matches with eight titles to her name. The Pole won the French Open and the US Open, along with four WTA 1000 tournaments last year.
But when posed a question about Iga Swiatek by Patrick McEnroe while speaking on the latter's podcast Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez said that she was a little concerned about the Pole.
Fernandez brought up Swiatek's loss to Jessica Pegula at the United Cup in January, during which she broke down in tears. But she also expressed her admiration for Swiatek, claiming that she was very athletic and had an aggressive defense similar to that of Novak Djokovic's.
"Am I concerned about her? Maybe a little bit. I guess I don't like when I see her crying after she loses. When she lost to Jessica Pegula in the United Cup, she broke down a bit. I feel she definitely feels the pressure and she expects herself to win every single time. But I still feel like, she's so good, she's so athletic, she defends aggressively, kind of like Djokovic," Fernandez said.
The 51-year-old further stated that while there is a hint of vulnerability in Iga Swiatek, she is still the one to beat given her record in 2022.
"She's consistent for the most part, but there's still a hint of that vulnerability. She can lose, she can go off the rails and start missing forehands with that extreme grip and get a little flustered. But I would still put her as the one to beat just because she has won so much and especially on the clay with that heavy forehand, she has so much topspin on it," Fernandez said.
"I think it's going to be tough to take her down but we'll see the nerves and the emotions, how she handles this second year backing up what a phenomenal year she had last year," she added.
Iga Swiatek successfully defended her title at the Qatar Open
Iga Swiatek successfully defended her title at the Qatar Open with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-0 win over Jessica Pegula in the final. The Pole dropped just five games throughout the tournament, previously registering 6-0, 6-1 wins over Danielle Collins and Veronika Kudermetova.
Swiatek currently has a 9-2 record for the 2023 season.
The Pole will next compete at the Dubai Tennis Championships, which is the first WTA 1000 event on this year's calendar. Being the top seed, Swiatek received a bye to the second round, where her opponent will be Leylah Fernandez.