Former world No. 2 Agnieszka Radwanska thinks the top-10 in the women’s game is “pretty open” as she believes Iga Swiatek is the only that stands out. Following Ashleigh Barty’s shock retirement from tennis at the age of 25, Swiatek replaced the Australian at the top spot.
Swiatek is enjoying a historic season as she won 37 consecutive matches before suffering a shock defeat to Alize Cornet in the Wimbledon third round. There is a huge difference between Swiatek and second-ranked Ons Jabeur as the Pole has 8,576 points to her name, while the Tunisian has 4,340 points.
“I think the top 10 is pretty open,” Radwanska told Eurosport. “I think there are a lot of players playing at the same level. I think Iga Swiatek and Ash Barty, before she retired, are the only two players that are playing very consistently, very powerfully.
Those two – that would be like [Novak] Djokovic and [Rafael] Nadal at the moment in men’s tennis.”
Radwanska: Except Swiatek, everyone has the same chance
There has been a lot of unpredictability in the women’s game over the last few years but Swiatek has been pretty predictable this year – she was winning where she was supposed to win.
Even though Swiatek was among the top favorites for the Wimbledon title, grass was still considered as her weakest surface and many believed this would be the tournament her streak ends. “Ash, unfortunately, she has gone, so it is only Iga, and I think except Iga, everyone has the same chance.
The level is very cool and that is why you can see a lot of different names, even different names not from the top 30 in the second week of a Grand Slam. I think those kinds of years – everything is going to change. A lot of older players retired and now it is an open space.
So I think we will wait for the new generation coming in [and there will be a] time when we’re all going to see the same names, like before, in the top 10,” Radwanska added.
