- 1,612
- 9
- 38
Sabalenka has risen to world No 2 having recovered from her serving woes in 2022, but she is still over 4000 points behind Swiatek in the WTA rankings.
She kept her cool in defeating reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in Melbourne for her maiden Grand Slam title that cemented her place as one of the brightest stars in the game.
Puig, who upset the odds to win a gold medal at the Rio Olympics, believes the 24-year-old has the tools to eventually overtake Swiatek and become the best in the world.
"She hits the ball incredibly well and athletically for being a tall player, she moves well. She's also very strong, but the only things that stands in her way is herself. Her mental ability to get past important moments," Puig said.
"We've seen it in two semi-finals at the US Open. We've seen her get to those stages but she has never really been able to push past it and the Australian Open was a perfect indication that she is stepping in the right direction.
"She's heading there, she's in control of herself and to win that first Grand Slam title will get the pressure off her back because people have been talking about Sabalenka for a while.
"She's been at the top for many years. She's been very consistent, so it was just a matter of time. Winning that title in Adelaide was the perfect kick-start to her 2023 season and the Australian Open title just confirms that."