Why the 'Iga Swiatek's dominance is making women's tennis boring' take is a boring take
Iga Swiatek romped her way to another French Open title, her third in a row, to further establish herself as the best women's player in the world. The Polish star is the World No. 1 and leads No. 2 Coco Gauff by over 3000 points. Such has been the dominance of the 23-year-old that some people have claimed that Swiatek has made tennis 'boring'.
Not only is this false but the opinion is also disrespectful toward Swiatek. The Pole has helped bring women's tennis back on the world map after Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova's retirement. Swiatek is criticised for being too good at her job, something she should be praised for.
Iga Swiatek is incredible... but women's tennis is still as competitive as ever
Despite Iga Swiatek's statistical dominance, women's tennis is still very competitive. The Polish star is untouchable on clay courts but is yet to conquer the grass of Wimbledon and the hard courts of Melbourne. The 23-year-old reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2023, which is her best performance at the tournament to date.
Other WTA stars like Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina have impressed observers over the last year too. The fact that all four Majors were won by different players in 2023 shows the competitive nature of the women's division. Sabalenka won the Australian Open, Swiatek defended her French Open title, Marketa Vondrousova claimed the throne in Wimbledon while Coco Gauff won the 2023 US Open in front of her home crowd.
Swiatek might be the World No. 1 by some distance but the WTA is still as open as ever. The Polish star's dominance is limited clay and hard courts, leaving the opportunity open for other WTA stars to make their mark on tennis.
The 23-year-old is no doubt at the top of the women's game and dominating most aspects of it but she is yet to dominate the sport like some men players have on the ATP tour in the past.
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic dominated men's tennis a lot more than Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek's WTA dominance is nothing compared to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic's dominance in men's tennis. The star duo ruled the roost for long periods, consolidating their World No. 1 status.
Roger Federer was the dominant force in the early 2000s, winning 14 Grand Slams in 6 years. Furthermore, the Swiss maestro made it to another six finals in the same period, displaying his dominance over other players. Federer's run includes 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles between 2003-2007.
Similarly, Novak Djokovic was the dominant force in men's tennis during the late 2010s and early 2020s. The Serbian superstar won 12 Grand Slam titles in six years while losing three finals during the same period. Djokovic even defeated the younger generation of players such as Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev during his time at the top.
However, while Federer and Djokovic's performances are seen as brilliance, Swiatek's era is considered boring. Though she is still in the intitial stage of her career, presently the two men players have dominated tennis for periods longer than Swiatek's time at the top.
Iga Swiatek's dominance being considered boring is a clear case of the Polish star being too good at her job. The 23-year-old has developed a sense of inevitability around her already that has in fact helped her rise to the summit of women's tennis. However, despite her brilliance on the court, women's tennis is still as open as ever with other women stars just as competitive as the World No. 1.