"A challenging, sometimes frustrating journey"- Iga Swiatek reflects on her "memorable" achievement of 100 weeks as World No. 1
Tennis star Iga Swiatek recently reflected on her journey as the World No. 1 in women's tennis. The Pole sent out this message after she completed 100 weeks as the World No.1 in women's tennis.
Swiatek has been breaking records in the WTA tour since she made her debut on the tour in 2019. Her first breakthrough came in the 2020 season when she won the French Open by defeating Sofia Kenin in the final. The Pole, since then has augmented her grand slam tally by winning three more majors.
Iga Swiatek accumulated the most number of points as a WTA ranked 1 player, second only to Serena Williams. The Pole won two Grand Slams in 2022, which included a 37-match winning streak that saw her win titles across hard and clay court surfaces.
In 2023, Swiatek momentarily lost her No.1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka but gained it back when she won the year-ending WTA final tournament by defeating Jessica Pegula in the final.
Swiatek recently shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) that commemorated the completion of 100 weeks for the Pole at the helm of the WTA rankings. She claimed that the journey was not without struggles, but at the same time was an exciting and happy time for her.
"What a challenging, fun, sometimes frustrating and stressful, exciting and memorable journey it is. Thank you all for the support!#ontothenextone," Iga Swiatek wrote.
Iga Swiatek will be playing in Madrid next in her build-up to the French Open defense
Iga Swiatek is slated to participate in the 2024 Madrid Open. The Pole is the top seed at the tournament and as a result, will get a bye in the first round. She will play either Alexandra Maniego Eala or Lesia Tsurenko in the second round. There is a possibility that Swiatek might face former World no. 1 Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round.
Swiatek was the runner-up at the Madrid Open last year. She was the top seed even then but lost to second seed Aryna Sabalenka in the final after a tense and captivating three-set battle. Swiatek is yet to win a title at Madrid with a win percentage of 78% in the tournament.
However, the clay surface has proved to be the most successful for Swiatek from a statistical point of view. The Pole has a remarkable 88 percent win ratio on the surface, including a couple of titles at the Italian Open and three French Open. Swiatek has a win ratio of over 90 percent at Roland Garros.