Davenport doubts Swiatek

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It's easy to talk with the benefit of hindsight, but admit that this Monday in the life of Iga Swiatek is dragging on. The four-time Roland Garros champion from last spring hasn’t set foot on a professional court since then. Eight months without lifting a trophy! It's incredible for a woman who aspires to be a legend and competes practically wherever she's placed. Now, the schedule points to one of her favorite stops, the Indian Wells WTA 1000, where many trust that this rough patch will come to an end. Lindsay Davenport, in a conversation with tennis.com, assessed the situation of the Warsaw tennis player and tried to pinpoint the reasons for this dip in performance.

“I know she can overcome whatever conditions the tournament throws at her, although this might be the biggest challenge for Iga. The question that really matters to me is: Is she feeling fresh enough? Does she have the confidence to win a tournament of this caliber again? Is she ready to step onto the court right now and show her best tennis? I don't know, sometimes it just takes one tournament, one match, or one set to click, for a player to turn it around and start anew,” states the former world number 1 with the experience of someone who has lived through all possible professional experiences.

“With certain players, you can tell from the outside that they may not handle those emotions well, but in Iga's eyes, you can see the look of a woman who knows how to do it,” points out Davenport, who has been working as a TV commentator in recent years. “Currently, for whatever reason, we are seeing a more stressed Iga on the court. What I don't know is the cause, whether it's because the results haven’t been there, or maybe due to the recent change in coach, so I'm just speculating. She just doesn't seem as calm or as comfortable on the court... we'll see what happens in Indian Wells, one of her favorite tournaments. To me, she’s the top favorite,” assures the American.

AND SABALENKA?

Davenport, who won in Indian Wells a couple of times (1997, 2000), shares this fact with Swiatek, who has also won twice (2022, 2024). All eyes will be on the Polish player and her unfinished business, but... what about Aryna Sabalenka? The Belarusian is also not experiencing her most consistent moment, so it's interesting to open up this topic. A finalist here in the 2023 season, where she lost to Elena Rybakina, the horizon for the Belarusian also seems filled with some obstacles that she'll have to deal with on the fly. Davenport, who doesn't shy away from any subject, also shared her opinion on the current number 1.

“It's somewhat similar to Sabalenka’s situation, someone who is currently fighting to win Grand Slams and, precisely because of that, was so disappointed in not winning the last Australian Open, simply by losing that last set to Madison Keys. She had it there for a long time during the match, but it slipped away from her. Aryna is another example of a player who didn’t do too well in the Middle East swing,” analyzes the California legend a few days before we start seeing the favorites' first appearances.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Davenport duda de Swiatek