Iga Swiątek is set to complete one full year as tennis world number one. The Polish star has been dominating tennis for the last 12 months and continues writing the history of her sport.
The Varsovian reached the top of the WTA ranking on 4 April 2022, after the unexpected retirement of the then-world number 1, Ashleigh Barty. Since then, the young Pole has proven time and again that the throne of the queen of tennis belongs to her for a reason.
Iga Swiatek World No.1 – Week 4⃣6⃣ pic.twitter.com/em4byWhKZc
— Out of Context Iga Świątek (@SwiatekOOC) February 13, 2023
Swiątek just started her 46th week on top of the standings. By early April, she’ll almost certainly overtake the Belarussian Victoria Azarenka (12th) in the all-time ranking of female tennis players who spent the most week as number 1.
How can one be so sure about that? Well, first, Iga gathered a massive advance on her rivals, leading her closest runner-up Aryna Sabalenka, currently left behind with over 4,385 points fewer than the Pole. Besides, Sabalenka was forced to withdraw from the ongoing Qatar Open.
Iga Świątek was recently awarded Player of the Year 2022 for the first time by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Her 2022 season has indeed been one of many triumphs. She won 8 titles, including 2 Grand Slams. She also completed the longest winning streak of the WTA tour of the 21st century with 37 consecutive wins in the first half of the season.
Iga Swiatek World No.1 – Week 4⃣6⃣ pic.twitter.com/em4byWhKZc
— Out of Context Iga Świątek (@SwiatekOOC) February 13, 2023
She also became the fourth woman in tennis history to spend over 40 consecutive weeks as world number 1 in her first stint. Only three other players did so before her: Steffi Graf (186), Martina Hingis (80), and Serena Williams (57). In this classification as well, the 21-year-old champion from Warsaw has a (very) good chance of getting on the podium.
No matter what the future will bring, there is no doubt that Iga Świątek already has a whole nation euphoric with her great achievements, which already exceed by far what anyone would have expected, except Iga and her team, perhaps.
Image: Twitter (@IfaSwi_France)
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
