Martina Navratilova expects Iga Swiatek to defend world No. 1 status in 2023 – ‘I don’t see anyone challenging’

Martina Navratilova has hailed current world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in an interview ahead of the 2023 tennis season and expects the three-time major winner to defend her top-ranked status.

The Polish star continued her increasingly illustrious career in what was a monumental year in 2022, winning two major titles at the French Open and US Open, adding to her groundbreaking triumph at Roland-Garros back in 2020.

“I do, I do,” she admitted. “I don’t see anybody knocking her off – because she’s so consistent. She wins majors – and she’s consistent. Usually, it’s one or the other.

“She’s got them both going on at the same time. I think to see if she’s making any changes, adding to her game again.

“This past year, she made more forays to the net, and it made a big difference,” she added.

Navratilova suggested more players have begun to follow Swiatek, such as Maria Sakkari and Barbora Krejcikova, who has become somewhat of a trendsetter in her approach to matches.

“I think you will see more players coming forward – Maria Sakkari also does that with her quickness and she puts those volleys away so easily.

“Barbora Krejcikova, with her doubles, is a good volleyer. They definitely need to get more aggressive with their positioning. Because the women move so well on the baseline and you have to play lights-out tennis to win.

“You don’t need to play lights-out if you move forward more.”

Ons Jabeur lies second in the rankings as the 2023 season approaches, and although Navratilova is confident Swiatek can remain in top spot, she believes Jabeur has what it takes to “disrupt” the Pole.

“She reached the final at both Wimbledon and the US Open. With so many people looking up to her, this takes a lot of effort to handle that pressure,” she said.

“She has good energy and the variety to frustrate her opponents. But now she needs to take that next step and come up big during the most pressure moments. If she can do that, Jabeur is someone who has the overall game and mindset to disrupt Swiatek’s dominance.”

If Jessica Pegula wants to compete for the No. 1 ranking next year, she must “find a bigger weapon”, according to Navratilova.

“Maybe the serve, work on that. She has to work so hard to win those points,” the 66-year-old claimed. “Often times, it takes her longer to hold serve than her opponent.

“And it’s cumulative, right? It might not bother you in this match, but it might in the next. Overall, just winning points easier saves energy in the long-term.

“I would concentrate on more variety on the second serve and a little more power on the first serve. That’s where she could make the greatest improvement.”

World No. 4 Caroline Garcia snatched the last available piece of silverware of the season with a 7-6 6-4 win over Aryna Sabalenka at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, and Navratilova believes that Garcia herself is starting to believe she’s in the conversation to upset the odds.

“Terrific end to the year for a player who has all the shots in the book,” she said. “She wants it, though. She’s now believing she can do it.

“She’s one of the very best athletes out there, on a par with Swiatek and Sakkari, Sabalenka and Coco Gauff.

“The obvious thing is that Garcia can’t fall off the map like she did before this past season. As we saw in the WTA Finals, when her game is on, she’s very hard to beat.

“[Aryna] Sabalenka should take this past year as a plus overall,” Navratilova explained when she touched on the world No. 5. “I think she’ll be a force.

“I wouldn’t put it past her to win a major because she seems to be more focused and mentally is making good progress.

“On a given day, maybe, but consistency-wise I don’t see anyone challenging Iga.”

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