"Even if Iga Swiatek retires with 40 slams, she will never surpass Maria Sharapova's legacy" - Fans weigh in on debate comparing the Pole and Russian
Iga Swiatek and Maria Sharapova have been among the best women's tennis players over the last two decades. However, there were a lot of strong opinions in response to a recent debate that compared the careers of the two women.
Swiatek turned professional in 2016 and is now a four-time Grand Slam champion: thrice at Roland Garros (2020, 2022, and 2023) and once at the US Open (2022). She has won 16 WTA titles and spent a lot of weeks at the World No. 1 ranking already.
Sharapova played professionally from 2001 to 2020. She is the only women's player from her country to achieve the rare milestone of holding a career Grand Slam: winning all four Major titles.
The former World No. 1 emerged victorious at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships, the 2006 US Open, the 2008 Australian Open, and the 2012 and 2014 French Opens. She also won the WTA Finals in 2004, and ended her career with 36 tour-level titles.
A debate over the two women's careers erupted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) after a user suggested that Iga Swiatek's career has already surpassed Maria Sharapova's achievements.
"Unpopular Opinion: Iga Swiatek Has Already Surpassed Maria Sharapova," the user posted.
Several tennis fans were quick to shoot down the "unpopular opinion." Some claimed that while Swiatek has achieved a great deal in her comparatively young career, she has a long way to go before coming close to Sharapova's stature in tennis.
Other fans dubbed the suggestion "delusional" and opined that the Russian competed in a more challenging era of the WTA tour than Swiatek.
"Even if Iga retires with 40 slams, she will never surpass Maria's legacy," one fan said.
"Hmm. I don’t think it’s particularly close, she has not. Sharapova has more slams, a career slam, double the amount of titles, more longevity, a YEC, a silver medal…like I’m unsure why someone would think otherwise tbh," another fan posted.
"I love how facts don't matter to stans," one fan joked.
"Sharapova won 5 slams and 1 WTA Finals, finishing runner-up in 5 and 2, respectively. Iga won 4 slams and 0 WTA Finals, though there’s a very good chance she’ll end tomorrow with her first Finals title. She’s never been runner-up at either. Iga will surpass Masha, but hasn’t yet," a user tweeted.
Here are a few more fan reactions to the Iga Swiatek-Maria Sharapova comparison:
Iga Swiatek looking to regain World No. 1 ranking after qualifying for 2023 WTA Finals SF
Iga Swiatek held the World No. 1 position for over a year, and her reign as the top-ranked WTA player ended after she failed to defend her US Open title in September.
In New York, Swiatek lost in the fourth round to Jelena Ostapenko. Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka finished as the runner-up, enabling her to take over the World No. 1 mantle.
But Swiatek is again close to ascending to the top ranking, having qualified for the semifinals of the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico. The 22-year-old, seeded No. 2, defeated Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur and Marketa Vondrousova, all in straight sets, to advance to the last four.
She will face Sabalenka in the semifinals on November 5. Swiatek will take over the World No. 1 ranking if she wins the title in Cancun. However, Sabalenka will stay World No. 1 if she beats the Pole and reaches the final.