Andy Murray’s former coach Amelie Mauresmo hails three-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek as she backs the Pole to translate her dominance on clay into a ‘breakthrough’ tournament at Wimbledon
- Amile Mauresmo says Iga Swiatek can dominate the women’s singles game
- Pole Swiatek beat Karolina Muchova on Saturday to win the French Open
- Mauresmo believes Swiatek now has the game to compete at Wimbledon
Former champion Amelie Mauresmo believes that Iga Swiatek can translate her dominance of clay into the kind of success at Wimbledon that has so far eluded her.
The 22 year-old Pole stands atop of the rankings as the world’s best player by collecting her third Roland Garros title on Saturday, but has yet to show the same aptitude for the grass.
In her three visits to the All England Club she has yet to get past the quarter finals, and last year was beaten in the third round.
Mauresmo, who is now tournament director of the French Open, reckons she is such an outstanding player that she will crack it in the end.
‘I think she has the game to compete at Wimbledon,’ said Mauresemo, who also did a stint as Andy Murray’s coach. ‘ I think she has got to make one or two adjustments technically or in her game.
Iga Swiatek beams with her French Open trophy and is now looking to Wimbledon next month
Amelie Mauresmo believes that Swiatek can translate her clay form on to the grass
‘But I don’t see why with her consistency, with her physical abilities, her mentality and how she fights, and gives a lot of trouble to the other girls, she wouldn’t be able to have a breakthrough there.’
In her Paris final against Karolina Muchova the volleying of Swiatek was patchy, but there was no doubting her champion’s pedigree as she reeled off the last three games to take the title from 4-3 down.
Perhaps a bigger impairment is the turnaround between the French and Wimbledon, and what it takes out of her to win on the clay. After beating Muchova she said she had not been home since early April, and she frequently referenced the strain of being in continual tournament mentality for so many weeks.
Swiatek beat Karolina Muchova to win at Roland Garras and she remains top of the rankings
Her next tournament is due to be in the town of Bad Homburg outside Frankfurt in the middle of the three weeks between Roland Garros and SW19. If she plays she will not have much chance to recharge, but there is the always the possibility that she will withdraw.
Someone like Novak Djokovic hardly ever plays a grass event before Wimbledon, but then he is far better acquainted with the surface.
Her two biggest threats will be Aryna Sabalenka, who confirmed that she has received her UK visa, and Elena Rybakina, the winner from last year. The latter will play at Eastbourne, and looks very serious about retaining her title.