Former American tennis ace Andy Roddick says he is unable to decide who is the best player on the WTA tour between Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, and Aryna Sabalenka. The 2003 US Open champion said that he is really happy with the level of the players on the tour as they continue to push each other to do better.
Roddick talked in length about how these top four players have been rising to the occasion in different tournaments. He cited Coco Gauff’s exceptional win at the 2023 US Open and then talked about Iga Swaitek’s clinical performance at the 2023 WTA Finals.
The former American tennis ace mentioned Aryna Sabalenka’s dominant showing at the 2024 Australian Open where the Belarusian ace did not drop a set on her way to clinching the second title in Melbourne.
I'm watching Doha and I watched the Swiatek-Rybakina final and I hope I put this the right way, I love what I'm seeing on the women's tour right now. It's like, you know, Gauff steps up at the US Open last year and then Swiatek steps up at the World Tour Finals. And I'm like, 'Oh, she's the best player' and then, you know, Australia happens and Sabalenka pushes the the envelope again and gets through in dominant fashion, not losing a set. Andy Roddick said on Served with Andy Roddick.
Andy Roddick loving the competition on the WTA tour
Andy Roddick sounded excited when he talked about the competition on the WTA tour. He said he is thrilled to see how these elite players are pushing each other to do better. Roddick also talked about the importance of embracing this moment. He said that rather than realizing it later, everyone must enjoy the level of tennis being played currently.
I feel like, we're seeing this, this group of elite players, players that have won Slams already, really pushing each other and we're kind of watching it in real-time. And a lot of times in tennis, we kind of forget the moment to realize when it's actually happening, and then we look back and be like, 'Wasn't that great? I feel like we're seeing them kind of push each other and elevate their own product in real-time. And I'm here for it. Andy Roddick said.
In the end, Roddick said that he is enjoying all of it, and due to this change in hierarchy every now and then, he continues to change his mind about the best player on the tour.
It is worth mentioning that there have been four different winners at the last five Grand Slam tournaments. While Iga Swiatek won the 2023 French Open, Marketa Vondrousova won the Wimbledon championships.
Coco Gauff clinched her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open. Sabalenka, meanwhile, won the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024. The World No.1 ranking is also fluctuating with Iga Swiatek holding it tighter than others.
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