"More swagger from the other players is warranted and needed": Former coach of Murray praises Vekic after statement on Rybakina's grass dominance

Mark Petchey, former coach of Andy Murray, defended Donna Vekic following her comments about Elena Rybakina.

Petchey shared his opinion on Vekic's recent victory over Rybakina at the Grass Court Championships Berlin. In the round of 16 match, Vekic staged a comeback after losing the first set to defeat the 2022 Wimbledon champion by 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4.

Vekic has been showcasing a great level of play on grass and has advanced to the final of the German tournament. With wins over Gracheva, Rybakina (second seed), Avanesian, and Maria Sakkari (6th seed), the world No. 23 will face Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion (2011, 2014).

Andy Roddick recently expressed his opinion that Elena Rybakina is his favorite to win Wimbledon: “because she's the best grasscourt player in the world. It’s pretty straightforward,” Roddick said.

The world No. 23 disagreed with the statement made by the former world No. 1 American.

"When I was in the car today, traveling from warm up to the site, I was Twitter and I saw how Roddick said that [Elena Rybakina] she's the best player on grass right now," she said.

So, I was like we'll see about that, I'm not saying that I'm the best player on grass, far from that but I think nowadays everyone can beat everyone, especially if you have a good day and you believe in yourself," Vekic added.

Petchey shared his opinion on Vekic's comments during a press conference at the Berlin Open:

"More swagger from the other players is warranted and needed. Great for the tour. No issue here from me. She’s playing great. No reason she can’t win it all," Petchey wrote on Twitter.

Vekic will be aiming for her sixth title at the Steffi Graf Stadion. The Croatian has reached 11 finals so far, winning four of them, all in the WTA 250 category.