‘He Would Just Walk Up and Start Punching’- Former US Open Champion Andy Roddick Compares Boxing Legend Mike Tyson to Iga Swiatek

Former World Number 1 Andy Roddick is one of the biggest admirers of Iga Swiatek. He has claimed that Iga deserved to be the number 1, as she has been a level above everyone in recent weeks. The American tennis star was all praise of the polish yet again while discussing her decision to skip the ongoing Madrid Open, to prepare for the upcoming French Open. Andy was on the Tennis Channel, where he was discussing Swiatek’s decision.

Andy Roddick Expresses Pulling Out From Madrid Open Is Completely Fine

Iga Swiatek has been phenomenal from the start of the year. She has won 4 straight WTA titles in a row. The recent one was the Stuttgart Open, where the 20-year-old won emphatically against Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-2.

Swiatek has been on a winning streak of 23 matches now. Even though she is in a red hot form, the World number 1 has skipped the ongoing Madrid open. She is preparing for the French Open at the Rafael Nadal Academy.

Commenting on this, Andy said that there’s nothing wrong with this move. As the Roland Garros is a much bigger event and the 20-year-old is eying a grand slam.

“When you have won it as much as she has and has made it habitual, your health going into Roland Garros is priority one. She is not going to forget how to go after the ball, taking a week off from Madrid,” he said.

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He also lauded the mutual respect between her and Rafael Nadal, which has translated into the work ethics of Swiatek.

Andy Compares Iga Swiatek With Mike Tyson

Praising Iga’s aggressive gameplay, Andy said that the way she plays reminds him of boxing legend Mike Tyson. He recited what Iga had said in December about how she is going to be more aggressive. It’s really special that she has executed what she said.

“We knew she was a dogged competitor, already a major champion before this move. And the fact that she has been able to roll it out in match circumstances and is way better, she just dominates now,” he added.

He added that the way she plays now is like how Mike Tyson used to do when he didn’t waste any time. Starting with his punches straight away. Iga is doing the same now. She is not giving any time to the opponent and hits them on their face.

“It’s like Tyson, when he used to fight back in the days and he would just walk up and start punching people. There was no dancing around. She just hits people in the mouth now. It’s fun to watch,” Andy concluded.

Swiatek has been sensational this year and it will be interesting to see if she can repeat what she did in the 2020 French Open.

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