Despite Olympic distraction, Chris Evert makes a bold Iga Swiatek prediction before Wimbledon

Chris Evert admits other players can “hurt” Iga Swiatek on grass, but the tennis star insists the world No. 1 “can win Wimbledon this year”, even if the Pole is somewhat distracted by the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Swiatek is once again the top seed at Wimbledon and is coming off another incredible clay court season in which she won the three biggest titles on the surface after trophies at Roland Garros, Rome and Madrid.

However, the Pole will start the Grand Slam next week without having played a single match on grass this year, as she decided to skip the Berlin Ladies’ Open after a lengthy campaign on clay.

And then there is the small matter of the Olympics, after Wimbledon and 18-time major winner Evert admitted that Paris 2024 could have an impact on Swiatek’s performance at SW19.

“I think the three weeks between the majors helps to a certain extent. It’s not just the French Open. You have to look at what Iga did before the French Open,” the American said during ESPN’s preview of the tournament.

“I could be wrong, but five or six tournaments, five tournaments on clay. Every time I turn on the Tennis Channel, she was out there playing. She played a lot of tournaments. I know she talked about how exhausted she was.

“It’s a disappointment when you win the French Open, when you win a major. It’s a real disappointment. Your body is worn out. You’re exhausted. You can’t just go out on the grass three days later and start training. It’s almost like you need a week off to get back on track. I think she pulled out of Berlin. She pulled out of a grass tournament.

“She’s probably secretly thinking about the Olympics.”

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Evert also admits that Swiatek will have problems on grass against strong servers such as Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, as her sliding technique, which is effective on clay, does not work on the “challenging” grass.

However, the three-time Wimbledon champion insists that Swiatek cannot be written off as a title contender.

She added: “I don’t know. I wonder where her thoughts are at the moment in relation to Wimbledon. It is certainly the most demanding of all the majors for a number of reasons. Her sweet spot is back at shoulder height, where she hits her winners.

“Right now, the jump is a little lower on grass courts. She has to hit the ball between her ankle and her waist. With that western grip, it’s really hard to get under the ball and shape it.

“She doesn’t win many free points on her serve and that will hurt her too. She’s the fastest player out there. I think she moves the best of all the women. Coco (Gauff) and she are very, very evenly matched.

“The beauty of her game was how she slid on the clay and then got back to the point and back into the court so well. That will be difficult to do on grass too.”

“Here, too, it’s the biggest challenge. She just has to be a bit more aggressive and try to hit the ball first, like she does on any other surface.

“I just think grass is a leveller for her. The other players like Sabalenka, Rybakina and Coco will feel that she doesn’t have much confidence, that she’s never made it past the quarterfinals and that she’s probably thinking about the Olympics.

“There is nobody mentally stronger than her. There is nobody mentally stronger than her. She has a great return. I think she can win Wimbledon. I think she can. People who don’t think she can win Wimbledon this year are stupid. I think she can win Wimbledon.

“And again, where are her thoughts? Is she thinking about the Olympics? Is she thinking about the red clay? Is she really fired up for Wimbledon? That remains to be seen. At the moment, her preparation is not so good when she is not playing a tournament.”