"Iga Swiatek is approaching rare air of Henin, Sharapova, Davenport" - Andy Roddick picks Pole over Carlos Alcaraz to complete Sunshine Double

Andy Roddick heaped rich praise on Iga Swiatek ahead of her opener at this week's Miami Open. The American believes that the career Swiatek has put together is already up there with the greats of the WTA tour.

Swiatek has been in scintillating form this year, having won two WTA 1000 titles at Indian Wells and Doha. The Pole's most recent triumph in the Californian desert was utterly dominant, as she didn't lose more than four games in any set during her campaign.

The World No. 1 was joined by Carlos Alcaraz in the Indian Wells winners' circle last week. The Spaniard, however, wasn't as convincing in his triumph at the Masters event; he had to come back from a set deficit in two of his matches en route to title glory.

Both players have arrived in Miami with a shot at completing the elusive 'Sunshine Double', i.e. reigning supreme at both Indian Wells and Miami in the same calendar year.

In that context, former World No. 1 Andy Roddick was asked by Tennis Channel on Wednesday (March 20) to share his views on who among the two former Miami Open champions was the favorite to achieve the feat.

The former US Open champion replied that Iga Swiatek was his pick, as he believes she is more consistent than Carlos Alcaraz. He also went as far as to assert that the four-time Major winner was already in the same league as Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Lindsay Davenport and Kim Clijsters.

"Probably Iga Swiatek 'cause at this point, I don't know, she has been more bankable over the course. Something like, as good as we all know Iga is, her career at this point is almost undersold, right?" Andy Roddick told Tennis Channel.

"Four Slams, eight Masters 1000s, 19 wins, she's approaching rare air of like, Henin, Sharapova, our Lindsey Davenport, Kim Clijsters, she's like right there and she's also 22 years old. She's a bad woman, man! She can play," he added.

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"Iga Swiatek is just a force to be reckoned with" - Former player turned analyst Monica Puig

Iga Swiatek poses with the 2023 French Open title

2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist Monica Puig, who performs studio duties for Tennis Channel nowadays, also spoke briefly about what makes Iga Swiatek so indomitable.

"The way that she hits the ball, the way she is moving, she is just a force to be reckoned with and mentally, she is so tough," Monica Puig said. "We have seen her in moments where she's kind of looked like she was about to wobble, waver for a couple of minutes, then you know, she kind of gets back in her zone, and finishes the job."

The 30-year-old added that facing Swiatek was difficult even when she was a teen. The two players met in the third round of the 2019 French Open, where the young Pole overcame a first-set bagel to beat the Puerto Rican in three sets.

"She is definitely gonna be adding her name to the mix of one of the greatest of all time if she continues like this. Because what she's been doing is incredible, I've been on the receiving end of Iga, and it is not fun," Puig said.