Coach Patrick Mouratoglou thinks Elena Rybakina is “a nightmare matchup” for Iga Swiatek.
Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon champion, has already beaten Swiatek twice in straight sets in early 2023.
En route to reaching the Australian Open final, Rybakina ousted Swiatek 6-4 6-4 in the round-of-16.
In the Indian Wells semifinal, Rybakina dominated Swiatek again as the Kazakh dismantled the Pole 6-2 6-2.
In December, Rybakina and Swiatek also met at an exhibition event in Dubai – where the Kazakh crushed the Pole 6-3 6-1.
Not many players have had any success against Swiatek over the last 12 months but Rybakina knows how to neutralize the Pole.
Mouratoglou: Rybakina’s tennis is a nightmare for Swiatek
“Clearly, she causes her problems. I think there is a tactical reason and there is a mental reason. When you lose several times in a row and, in a way, badly against one player, you have this feeling that she’s dangerous, that she’s better than you. And it’s always difficult to compete well against this player. We’ve seen that in the past, also on the men’s side, and it was interesting what was happening between Rafa, Roger, and Novak. I think that Elena Rybakina’s type of tennis is a nightmare for Iga Swiatek because she needs to dominate in the rallies. She needs to be on top of the rallies, to dictate and be the boss on the court. She’s hurt by Rybakina both on her serve and then in the rallies. She doesn’t move back, she hits hard, she plays flat, she plays fast, and she doesn’t miss much, which is a lot. So that’s why Iga is very much in trouble against Rybakina,” Mouratoglou said in a video uploaded on his Instagram.
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Both Swiatek and Rybakina are set to compete at the Madrid Open.
Swiatek and Rybakina were placed in the top half of the draw and are projected to meet in the Madrid quarterfinal.
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