Iga Swiatek seems to be having a smooth, successful season, recently lifting her third French Open trophy, but there's been a lot happening beneath the surface.
It's been more than 16 months since the 22-year-old from Poland started dominating the WTA Tour, when then No. 1 Ash Barty announced her surprise retirement. That was the start of Swiatek's ascent, winning Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart, Rome, and Roland Garros during a 37-match win streak, and then also taking the US Open. She was on fire, running and attacking all the time, confident she could go for it and win.
Rybakina
But this season started with some challenges. Though the heavy favorite in Melbourne, Swiatek went down 6-4, 6-4 in the round of 16 against eventual finalist Elena Rybakina, who had won her first Grand Slam title in 2022 by capturing Wimbledon. Though Swiatek did turn around and win Doha and reach the final of Dubai, she then fell to Rybakina again at Indian Wells, by the even more lopsided score of 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals.
In 1980 John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg played two of the greatest matches of all time in Wimbledon and the U.S. Open finals, both won by McEnroe, catalyzing Borg's disappearance from the game. In Epic, Matt Cronin, one the world's most respected tennis writers, and a regular Tennisplayer.net contributor, tells the stories of the two legendary careers that lead up those confrontations - as well as recounting the matches themselves. We're excerpting the start of both stories on Tennisplayer - the young Borg and the young McEnroe. Get Matt's book and read the rest!
TennisReporters.net is the world's leading subscription based source of tennis commentary, opinions, and features from the world professional tour. At TennisReporters.net, founded by Matt Cronin, the world's best known tennis journalists give you the straight insight into what is really happening, and aren't afraid to describe the pros just the way they are.
Matthew Cronin, founder of TennisReporters.net, is one of the most prolific and insightful journalists working in the sport of tennis. Matt has covered men's and women's pro tennis for the past fifteen years, traveling the world to develop his unique first hand perspective on every aspect of the game. Matt is a regular contributor to Reuters, has written extensively for the official Grand Slam web sites, and did play-by-play on the first web radio broadcast of the US Open finals. A former co-president of the International Tennis Writers Association, Cronin resides in Moraga, Calif., USA, with his wife, Patti, and their children, Cassandra, Connor and Chiara.
Tennisplayer Forum
Let's Talk About this Article!
Share Your Thoughts with our Subscribers and Authors!
