"On clay, Iga Swiatek is like Martina Hingis on steroids" - Serena Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci
Serena Williams' ex-coach, Rick Macci, recently hailed Iga Swiatek and likened her playing style to former World No. 1 Martina Hingis.
Iga Swiatek ended the year at World No. 1 after defeating Jessica Pegula in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0 to clinch her maiden WTA Finals title. The Pole registered a 68-11 win-loss tally and amassed a tour-leading six titles in 2023, including a successful defense of her French Open title. She's the sixth youngest player to finish consecutive seasons as the top-ranked player.
Venus and Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci appeared on a recent episode of the Match Point Canada podcast. He maintained that Iga Swiatek has proven herself with four Grand Slam titles under her belt.
"Well, first off, Iga [Swiatek] has proven herself with four Slams, you know, mentally she has proven herself and she's not going anywhere. I think she is a cut above, no one's going undefeated, okay, but I think she is much better mentally than the rest of the field. [Aryna] Sabalenka can be in and out, [Elena] Rybakina can kind of be sprayed around a little bit. [Coco Gauff's] forehand is a little dodgy," Macci said. (22:50)
Macci also opined that the women's circuit lacks players with the pedigree to win multiple Grand Slam titles.
"But I think it's so fluid, the women's game because there's not a lot of people who have been there done that. You know what I am saying, [players] that have that pedigree and won two or three or four or five Grand Slams. So every female goes in there, has a shot," he said.
However, the 68-year-old defended Iga Swiatek, likening her performance on clay courts to "Martina Hingis on steroids."
"Maybe not on clay, because on clay Iga is something like [Martina] Hingis on steroids, she just carves off angles and carves you up like a Thanksgiving turkey. She is by far the best, but those would be the people I would keep an eye on. But it's so wide open, and all the females know that," Macci said. (24:50)
Iga Swiatek graciously thanks competitors after maiden WTA Finals title
Iga Swiatek most recently competed at the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, having been seeded second. The 22-year-old had lost the World No. 1 rank to Aryna Sabalenka after an unsuccessful title defense at the 2023 US Open and entered the season-ending championship with an eye on topping the WTA Rankings.
Swiatek topped her group with straight-set victories over seventh seed Marketa Vondrousova, reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff and sixth seed Ons Jabeur. In the last four, the Pole defeated top seed Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2 to set up a high-stakes final against fifth seed Jessica Pegula.
Iga Swiatek blew past the American with a straight-sets victory, 6-1, 6-0, winning her maiden WTA Finals title and reclaiming the World No. 1 spot from Aryna Sabalenka in the final match of the season.
Following her triumph in Cancun, Swiatek took to social media to thank her fellow competitors, crediting them for pushing her to be a better player.
"And last but not least… I want to thank the amazing women I compete with on tour. Thanks to you, I constantly want to be a better player. Every one of us has our own story and we can tell those stories together through our sport. I’m grateful for you and for this opportunity," Swiatek posted.
Iga Swiatek concluded with an inspiring message, posting:
"The best things happen to us when… we stop chasing them. #almostoff."