"If Iga Swiatek is fresh mentally and believes in herself, she's going to be hard to beat” - Barbara Schett on Pole's Grand Slam chances in 2024
Former player Barbara Schett reckons WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek could be a force to be reckoned with in Grand Slams in 2024 if she is mentally fresh and believes more in herself.
Swiatek had an underwhelming season by her staggering standards, going 68-11 and winning six titles. However, she won only one of the four Grand Slams (Roland Garros) and didn't venture beyond the quarterfinals in the other three.
The Pole did have a rollicking end to the season, though, after losing the World No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka following her fourth-round loss at the US Open. Swiatek won the year-end WTA season-ending event in Cancun without dropping a set to return to the summit of the rankings.
The 22-year-old won her last 11 matches - dropping just one set - to end the season with a flourish. Schett believes Swiatek could be the player to beat in 2024, especially in the Majors.
“For her, probably the year was pretty average in terms of Grand Slam results. She only won one. And I think that's the main focus that she brings her best tennis. And with Iga, I always feel like it's a matter of her mental approach, how much she believes in herself," she told Eurosport.
Schett said that the Pole may be unstoppable if she is in the right frame of mind.
"It shows the way she hits her forehand, sometimes she can get a little bit shaky on that shot when she has doubts. So if she's fresh mentally, if she believes in herself, she's going to be hard to beat.”
Swiatek is expected to begin her 2024 season at the mixed team United Cup Down Under, which starts on December 29.
Barbara Schett sees Aryna Sabalenka as the biggest threat to Iga Swiatek in 2024
Iga Swiatek ended the season with a slender 245-point lead over World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka.
The two best players in the women's game are set to renew hostilities anew at the Australian Open next month. While Sabalenka is the defending champion, Swiatek lost in the fourth round last year.
Schett foresees Sabalenka as the biggest threat to Swiatek in 2024, particularly on hardcourts, due to her big hitting.
“I think on the hard courts, it has to be somebody who hits the ball extremely hard, who has a lot of pace, who can put her under pressure and big service. That is a Rybakina. That is a Sabalenka. That has to be Coco Gauff," Schett said. "I would throw Pegula in the mix as, I mean, we'll see how she's going to play, but she's capable of doing that. I think not so much. Maybe somebody like (Ons) Jabeur. I think you have to have somebody with a lot of pace. But if I had to choose one, I think it would be Sabalenka.”
Iga Swiatek and Sabalenka could meet in the Melbourne final, given the draw of the Grand Slam. The Pole enjoys a 6-3 head-to-head lead, including 2-1 in 2023.