"Monica Seles, Steffi Graf, myself and Martina Navratilova; I think Iga Swiatek is the same type of person"

Former World No. 1 Chris Evert has showered Iga Swiatek with high praise, comparing her with some of the greatest names in women's tennis history — Monica Seles, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and herself.

Swiatek reigned supreme at the 2023 French Open, beating Karolina Muchova 6-2 5-7 6-4 on Saturday, June 10, to clinch her third Roland Garros title and fourth Major.

The Polish World No. 1 is the first woman to defend her title in Paris since Justine Henin in 2007, and the first woman to defend a Major since Serena Williams at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships.

Evert was present on Court Philippe-Chatrier for the prize distribution ceremony and congratulated Swiatek on her achievement. She later told Eurosport that the Pole has a hunger that's only seen in the best players in tennis history.

"She’s just hungry. There are champions that win one Slam, and that’s enough, but there are players that are really hungry - Monica Seles, Steffi Graf, myself and Martina Navratilova, and I think Iga is the same type of person," she said.

Evert continued:

"I just said she was unbelievable," she added, recalling their conversation on the podium. "A break down twice, and the shots she came up with! She said to me, ‘Did you see my serve?’ I was just complimenting her on how she played with her back to the wall, and only champions can play like that when they are down."

Evert also opined that while Swiatek's physical prowess is stronger than some on the men's tour, she can still improve as a player.

"She hits the ball harder than a man. She can take those mid-court balls and volley them. She can still improve," Evert added.

Swedish former World No. 1 Mats Wilander observed that Swiatek is letting her emotions show a bit too often these days:

"It’s a very emotional Iga Swiatek these days. She's feeling the pressure of being No. 1 in the world for sure, which is good. She’s handling it, but she is sometimes too emotionally involved, I think, so I hope she can relax a bit and grow into being the best player in the world - but she’s winning while being No. 1, so it’s amazing. The confidence she must get must be incredible."

"I felt suddenly tired" - Iga Swiatek on her emotional state after 2023 French Open win

Mats Wilander's observation of Iga Switek's emotional state comes after the Pole sat down on the court and broke into tears after winning the 2023 French Open.

In a post-match press conference, Swiatek acknowledged that emotions took over her after she beat Muchova in the final. While most of them were positive, she also said that she was mentally exhausted during the fortnight:

"I don't know what I felt. It's hard to describe. But a lot of happiness. I felt suddenly, you know, tired of these three weeks. Maybe my matches weren't like physically exhausting, but it's pretty hard to kind of keep your focus for these almost three weeks."

Swiatek joined Monica Seles, Roger Federer and Naomi Osaka as the only players in the Open Era to win their first four Grand Slam finals.