Iga Swiatek can win Wimbledon ‘multiple times’, has a point to prove on grass – Mats Wilander

Iga Swiatek can win Wimbledon “multiple times” even if she doesn’t feel entirely comfortable on a grass court, according to Mats Wilander.

The Eurosport tennis expert believes that Swiatek has a point to prove at Wimbledon and will be desperate to improve on her mediocre record at SW19.

But her record on grass – where she had won six and lost five prior to the Bad Homburg event – leaves question marks over her status as one of the favourites to win the trophy.

Wilander, however, insists you can’t write her off.

In an exclusive interview with Eurosport, Wilander said: “She is most probably feeling very similar to a lot of ‘us’ that went to Wimbledon that were seeded amongst sort of the first two or three or four. And on paper, we feel that, hey, ‘I should have a chance’.

“But not every year did I go in thinking I have a chance to win Wimbledon. But there were a few years when I thought, ‘oh, I’m one of the three or four favourites’. And I think Iga is most probably past that feeling where ‘I hope and I wish that I’m going to be a great grass court player, that I feel comfortable playing on this surface’.

“And I think she’s already found out that, no, she’s not going to feel comfortable playing on a grass court.

“She’s going to learn how to play better on it. Is she ever going to be a better grass court player than a clay court player? No.

“Is she going to be a better grass court player than a hard court player? Most probably not. That doesn’t mean she can’t win the tournament.

“So, I think for her, the dream might not be there where ‘I might win six or seven Wimbledons’, but she knows that the dream is alive. ‘I can win Wimbledon. I know how to play on a grass court’.

“But she needs to keep developing her game and she needs to realise that you’re never going to feel perfect on a grass court, not with her game.

“No one really does unless you hit aces and hit winners because you’re slipping and sliding. So Iga is a threat. She can Wimbledon multiple times. I think this would be a really good year to start telling the world: ‘hey, I’m here I am okay with grass and I think I’m one of the favourites’”.

Laura Robson described the women’s tournament at Wimbledon as an ‘open draw’ and Wilander agrees, refusing to be drawn on giving a name he believes will win this year’s event.

He said: “So far on grass for the women I would say that the favourite to win is not a person with a name right now. It’s a style of play, which is someone that’s having a great ball striking two weeks, someone like Petra Kvitova who knows how to play on a grass court.

“She’s not afraid of just letting go and letting things fall into place if they do. And she’s done it twice at Wimbledon.

“So, I think the style is to me, it’s pretty obvious that it’s going to be a hard hitting big server. And whether her name is Aryna Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina or Petra Kvitova, there are a lot of players out there. I mean, I can even throw someone like Madison Keys can be very dangerous, but maybe not winning the tournament.

“But then you have a couple of players like Ons Jabeur who’s more tricky, who plays a little bit more like on the men’s side. Someone like Carlos Alcaraz without the big forehand, but someone who plays with feel and understanding, brings their opponent into the net, hits a few drop shots, basically plays junk tennis. You can do that on a grass court!

“There’s just not that many players that can manage to do that. But Ons Jabeur can. So, in a way, when those big hitters are not in form, you would think that Ons Jabeur suddenly has a chance to do well.

“But I do think still it’s a big hitting, big serving woman that’s going to win Wimbledon and I just can’t put a name to it at this moment.”

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