Iga Swiatek 'like Novak Djokovic' but 'she can go off the rails' says former pro Mary Joe Fernandez

Updated 20/02/2023 at 10:12 GMT

Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff each have things they can work on to improve, but remain leading lights on the WTA Tour, according to Mary Joe Fernandez. The former Australian Open and French Open finalist has given her views on the exciting young pair in an appearance on the 'Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe' podcast in which she expressed some interesting perspectives.

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Two-time Grand Slam champion Mary Joe Fernandez has given her views on the career trajectories of WTA Tour stars Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.

Both Swiatek and Gauff suffered very disappointing fourth-round defeats at the Australian Open, to Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko respectively, with each having held realistic ambitions of going all the way at Melbourne Park.

The Pole already has three Grand Slam titles to her name and will be seeking a third crown at Roland-Garros this year, having already established herself as the consistent world No. 1. Gauff, meanwhile, reached the final at the French Open last year and is still just 18 years old.

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Asked about both players in a conversation with Patrick McEnroe, Fernandez provided her thoughts on both players, starting with her comparing Swiatek with the men's No. 1 Novak Djokovic and citing a few minor concerns about her game.

"Am I concerned about her? Maybe a little bit," Fernandez said on the 'Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe' podcast.

"I guess I don't like when I see her crying after she loses. When she lost to Jessica Pegula in the United Cup, she broke down a bit.

"I feel she definitely feels the pressure, and she expects herself to win every single time. But I still feel like, she is so good, she is so athletic, and she defends aggressively, kind of like Djokovic.

"She is consistent for the most part, but there is still a hint of that vulnerability. She can lose, she can go off the rails and start missing forehands with that extreme grip and get a little flustered.

"But I would still put her as the one to beat just because she has won so much and especially on the clay with that heavy forehand, she has so much topspin on it.

"I think it is going to be tough to take her down but we will see the nerves and the emotions, how she handles this second year backing up what a phenomenal year she had last year."

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On Gauff, Fernandez is confident that "she is going in the right direction" despite the fact that "she is a work in progress", even with her abundant talent.

"With Coco, I also think she is a work in progress. She is 18, and there is a lot still to work on in her game," she said.

"But I also think that she is going in the right direction. The win she had in Auckland was some of the best tennis I have seen from her. She is working really hard on the forehand, and she is working really hard on the serve.

"I felt that the serve in Australia was way better, very few double faults. I felt like that is something she has corrected and she is getting the margins, getting the spin."