"One has nothing to prove and the other one might be the hungriest of all time" - Martina Navratilova on Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur's chances at the WTA Finals
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will look to cap off a sensational season by winning the 2022 WTA Finals. The Pole has won a whopping eight titles this season, including two Majors.
In a chat with the WTA, tennis legend Martina Navratilova said that Swiatek will have nothing to lose considering the great year she has had, and that might free her up to play her best tennis.
"She won two of the four Majors, and the rest of it is just mind-blowing," Navratilova said. "When I had a great year, at the year-end championships, you relaxed. It’s ‘I had a great year, I don’t have to prove anything.’ She’s had a couple of weeks off. There’s absolutely no pressure on her, so she could play probably the most free tennis of anybody there."
The 18-time Grand Slam champion opined that World No. 2 Ons Jabeur might be the "hungriest" player at the season-ending tournament considering she has suffered some heartbreaking losses this year, most notably losing two Major finals.
"She’ll be hungry. Losing those two finals -- it sucks losing in the final of a Major," Navratilova said of Jabeur. "You have to stay on the court for that extra 15 minutes, when you just want to get to the locker room and have a beer. She may be the hungriest of all of them."
"It’s a big event and could be a springboard for next year. She might be the one with the most to prove. It’s funny, No. 1 and No. 2 -- one has nothing to prove and the other one might be the hungriest," she added.
"It was confusing to me because I wouldn't expect hearing this news” - Iga Swiatek on Simona Halep's failed drug test
At a press conference ahead of the WTA Finals, Iga Swiatek revealed that she was left confused after hearing the news of Simona Halep's failed drug test. She added that Halep always set a great example for her.
“For sure it was confusing to me because I wouldn't expect hearing this news," Iga Swiatek said. "Simona, from my point of view, seems like a person who always cared about being fair, and she was a great example for me."
"So hopefully... I don't know how it works in terms of the system that they're going to. Hopefully, it's going to be more clear for fans and for us. But, yeah, it's kind of like disappointing, and she must feel really bad.” she added.