On June 10, 2023, Karolina Muchova and Iga Swiatek will be facing each other in Paris in the Grand Slam final.
Muchova has had her successful share of matches. Against Aryna Sabalenka in Roland Garros, she already beat her opponent with a score of 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-5. With lunging returns that floated down just inside the baseline, banging forehands followed by dying drop shots, the ability to filet the hardest of Sabalenka’s forehands, with cutting volleys that showed off the unteachable touch of a billiards shark.
“A little bit out of the radar, but she always plays great tennis. It’s kind of a little bit tricky to build a point against her,” Sabalenka said.
Muchova, from the Czech Republic, is considered a late bloomer by Czech standards. She is suffering from multiple injuries, which are caused by a growth spurt that pushed her height all the way to 5-foot-11 but also caused back and knee problems.
“Many lows, I would say, from one injury to another,” she said, addressing her back and knee problems. “Some doctors told me, you know, maybe you’ll not do sport anymore.”
In 2021, she was ranked 19th in the world. However, a series of multiple injuries, including a sprained ankle, sent her from 19th to 235th in one single year.
Swiatek, on the other hand, has had a much different career than Muchova. She won her first Grand Slam title at the age of 19, and become the World No. 1 on April 20, 2022, after the current No. 1, Ashleigh Barty, retired at the age of 25.
Swiatek’s moves can be lethal on the court, usually scoring a 6–0 (called a “bagel” in tennis speak) or a 6-1 (called a “breadstick”). In fact, she finishes her sets 6-0 or 6-1 so many times that Twitter has often mentioned “Iga’s Bakery” when she is on the court. However, she does not like this, saying it is disrespectful to her opponents.
In a game against Haddad Maia of Brazil, Maia came within a point in the tiebreaker of forcing a third. However, becoming the Iga Swiatek the world renounces, she curled a backhand on the tightest angles and finished the match with a massive forehand far out of Maia’s reach.
Last year, it was said the only player that could beat Swiatek was Swiatek herself. She has often declared of losing control of her nerves and forcing herself to play to win rather than to avoid a loss.
Swiatek played with Muchova four years ago, back when neither was world-renounced player. Muchova won that match in three sets in Prague while Swiatek was only ranked 95th in the world.
“She [Muchova] can do anything,” Swiatek said.
Muchova has had her successful share of matches. Against Aryna Sabalenka in Roland Garros, she already beat her opponent with a score of 7-6(5), 6-7(5), 7-5. With lunging returns that floated down just inside the baseline, banging forehands followed by dying drop shots, the ability to filet the hardest of Sabalenka’s forehands, with cutting volleys that showed off the unteachable touch of a billiards shark.
“A little bit out of the radar, but she always plays great tennis. It’s kind of a little bit tricky to build a point against her,” Sabalenka said.
Muchova, from the Czech Republic, is considered a late bloomer by Czech standards. She is suffering from multiple injuries, which are caused by a growth spurt that pushed her height all the way to 5-foot-11 but also caused back and knee problems.
“Many lows, I would say, from one injury to another,” she said, addressing her back and knee problems. “Some doctors told me, you know, maybe you’ll not do sport anymore.”
In 2021, she was ranked 19th in the world. However, a series of multiple injuries, including a sprained ankle, sent her from 19th to 235th in one single year.
Swiatek, on the other hand, has had a much different career than Muchova. She won her first Grand Slam title at the age of 19, and become the World No. 1 on April 20, 2022, after the current No. 1, Ashleigh Barty, retired at the age of 25.
Swiatek’s moves can be lethal on the court, usually scoring a 6–0 (called a “bagel” in tennis speak) or a 6-1 (called a “breadstick”). In fact, she finishes her sets 6-0 or 6-1 so many times that Twitter has often mentioned “Iga’s Bakery” when she is on the court. However, she does not like this, saying it is disrespectful to her opponents.
In a game against Haddad Maia of Brazil, Maia came within a point in the tiebreaker of forcing a third. However, becoming the Iga Swiatek the world renounces, she curled a backhand on the tightest angles and finished the match with a massive forehand far out of Maia’s reach.
Last year, it was said the only player that could beat Swiatek was Swiatek herself. She has often declared of losing control of her nerves and forcing herself to play to win rather than to avoid a loss.
Swiatek played with Muchova four years ago, back when neither was world-renounced player. Muchova won that match in three sets in Prague while Swiatek was only ranked 95th in the world.
“She [Muchova] can do anything,” Swiatek said.