"Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal didn't make it too many finals either"-Jimmy Connors on Iga Swiatek not facing her biggest rivals at French Open
Eight-time Grand Slam champion Jimmy Connors has weighed in on the criticism surrounding Iga Swiatek's victory at the French Open, noting that she did not face her top rivals on her path to the title.
Despite Elena Rybakina's unexpected withdrawal in the third round due to illness and Aryna Sabalenka's loss in the semifinals, Connors defended Swiatek against claims that she had a favorable draw.
Drawing a parallel, he highlighted how even tennis legends like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have not frequently faced each other in the finals.
"Ya, I'm sure the tournament would've liked that. The dream final between Sabalenka and Iga, the match that everybody expected and wanted to have. But like I said you can call it luck or whatever, if you go back Federer didn't make it to too many finals against Nadal. Even Djokovic and Nadal didn't make it against it too many finals either" Jimmy Connors said on the 'Advantage Connors' podcast show.
"So that happens, she kinda didn't have to play those two players (Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka), who bubbled up to become the biggest rivals on tour this year," Jimmy Connors added.
2020
Iga Swiatek is your 2023 #RolandGarros CHAMPION!
🏆 2020
🏆 2022
🏆 2023
Congratulations on her back-to-back French Open title and her third in four years. https://t.co/Jcm5mO0MLj
Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina were two of the most in-form players on the women's tour entering the 2023 French Open. While the Belarusian No. 1 captured her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, Kazakh No.1 Rybakina claimed titles at Indian Wells and the Italian Open and also finished runner-up in Melbourne.
However, the one who stole the limelight in Paris this year was World No. 16 Karolina Muchova. The Czech tennis player brought her A-game to the fore and defeated the likes of Irina Camelia Begu, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Aryna Sabalenka en route to the finals. She put up a tough fight against Iga Swiatek but couldn't outplay the Pole in the summit clash.
Connors hailed the emergence of Muchova at the French Open and felt that it was great for the women's game to have more contenders fighting at the top level.
"I'm not taking anything away from Muchova or from Iga. Muchova did give her a tough final and all of a sudden now there's a rise of another challenger. I like how anytime there's new youth and new name's coming up. All that does is hopefully create more interest in tennis and the game," Jimmy Connors said.
Iga Swiatek ties Simona Halep for the active WTA player with most weeks at No. 1
Iga Swiatek has equaled Simona Halep's record for the most weeks as the World No. 1 among active WTA players.
Despite a strong performance by Aryna Sabalenka at the 2023 French Open, the Pole retained her top ranking after reaching the final and ultimately winning the tournament. This victory marked Swiatek's fourth Grand Slam title and extended her reign at the pinnacle of the rankings.
Since ascending to the top spot on April 4, 2022, the 22-year-old has held the No. 1 position for an uninterrupted 64 weeks as of June 19, 2023. This ties her with former World No. 1 Simona Halep, who spent 64 weeks at the summit.
In terms of the all-time World No. 1 rankings, Iga Swiatek currently ranks 11th. She is just seven weeks away from claiming the 10th position, which is currently held by Caroline Wozniacki with a reign of 71 weeks.