"Iga Swiatek is by far the favourite going into the Australian Open" - Serena Williams' former coach expects Pole to be a better player next year

Serena Williams' former coach Rennae Stubbs has picked Iga Swiatek as the favourite "by far" going into the Australian Open.

Stubbs reckoned that the Pole put a lot of pressure on herself to attempt to repeat the dominant spell she had during 2022 which left her overwhelmed at the beginning of the year.

The Aussie coach also opined that Swiatek learned more about herself this season than during the course of an incredible 2022 when she was on a 37-match winning streak.

"I think she (Swiatek) is by far the favorite now going into the Australian Open but I think what she did this year was a learning experience about how to handle the pressure," the 52-year-old stated during a recent episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.

Stubbs was of the opinion that although the pressure got to Iga Swiatek early in the 2023 season, the fact that she managed to end on a high meant that she had benefitted from the experience.

"At the start of the year, I know that she was very aware of her winning streak from the year before. I know that she was putting a ton of pressure on herself to have that same year and was a little bit sort of overwhelmed by it in some respects," Stubbs said.

"I think she learned a lot about herself this year and I think she's going to be even better next year," she added.

---

How did Iga Swiatek perform in 2023 as compared to the 2022 season?

Iga Swiatek with her father following her win at the 2023 WTA Finals

Iga Swiatek, who dominated the WTA tour following Asheligh Barty's surprise retirement early in the 2022 season, went to clinch eight titles last season which included triumphs at the French Open and the US Open.

Swiatek reigned supreme at Doha, Indian Wells and Miami before going on to win her fourth title on the trot at Stuttgart. The juggernaut continued at the Italian Open even as she finished the 2022 French Open on a 35-match winning streak which finally ended with a third-round loss at Wimbledon.

She also won the US Open and the San Diego Open before ending the year as the top-ranked women's tennis player.

Although Iga Swiatek defended her title at Roland Garros this season, she failed to make it past the fourth round at the Australian Open and the US Open while also losing to Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships.

The 22-year-old defeated Jessica Pegula in the final of the Qatar Open before getting past Aryna Sabalenka in the Stuttgart Open title-round. She also won the Poland Open in Warsaw.

Victory over Liudmila Samsonova enabled Iga Swiatek to win the China Open before she ended the year with a WTA Finals triumph and retained her year-end World No. 1 ranking.