"I thought, maybe, I'm going to be at my peak when I'm 24, 25" - Iga Swiatek after securing her 61st win this season
Iga Swiatek's unstoppable year continued as the World No. 1 notched her 61st win, brushing off a second-set loss to beat Zheng Qinwen, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, at the San Diego Open.
Swiatek's victory tally is the most in a single season since Caroline Wozniacki, also a former No. 1, collected 60 in 2017.
Swiatek continues to lead both the women's and men's tours in match wins in 2022. Stefanos Tsitsipas spearheads the ATP Tour with 53 triumphs.
Asked about the impressive achievement post-match, Swiatek said that she did not expect such success this season, thinking that she would reach her peak three or four years from now. Swiatek, winner of the recent French and US Opens, is 21.
"It's pretty amazing. I wasn't expecting to have this kind of season this year. I thought, maybe, I'm going to be at my peak when I'm 24, 25, and have that experience, maybe results like that are going to come," said Iga Swiatek.
Iga Swwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwiatek ✅
61 wins and counting – the most in a single season since @CaroWozniacki in 2017!
@iga_swiatek | #SanDiegoOpen https://t.co/6vmdBDNFBz
Swiatek, who won seven of the eight finals she contested this year, added that she, however, welcomes the early success.
"I'm pretty happy that I am able to give my all right now and to play well and to be in that place. As I said in Ostrava (where she lost to Barbora Krejcikova in the championship match last week), my dreams are coming true. So I'm pretty proud of myself and the team that they are preparing me and I'm able to play good to the end of the season," said Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek made waves earlier this year, ascending to No. 1 after the sudden retirement of then 25-year-old Ashleigh Barty in March. She then proved she deserved the spot by rolling to a 37-match win streak.
The Pole has dropped only eight matches this season.
Her 61-win collection trails only Angelique Kerber (63 in 2016), Wozniacki (64 in 2010 and 66 in 2011), Victoria Azarenka (68 in 2012) and Serena Williams (78 in 2013) for most victories in a single season since 2010.
Bookworm Iga Swiatek shares current reads
Iga Swiatek is often seen with a book in hand on the court, and the San Diego Open was no exception.
Sharing with tennis.com how she had just finished reading Madame Bovary, a novel by French writer Gustave Flaubert, Swiatek said that she has now started reading Italian author Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose.
"I always felt like, like we need things besides tennis. I love listening to music. I love reading books and when I can, I'm watching a lot of TV shows," said Iga Swiatek.
No one ever looks cool reading a book?
@iga_swiatek: Hold my novel! 😎 https://t.co/nDdW59eiSY
In a column for the BBC last May, Swiatek shared that she has read Murder on the Orient Express, Gone with the Wind, The Count of Monte Cristo and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, among others.
"I feel when I don't have time to read, it's time for me to chill out a little bit more. Not being able to take the time to read is a sign that I'm doing too much. I feel like it really clears my mind," wrote Swiatek, who also said that she received 20 books from her management team for her 20th birthday, in the column.
"I am pleased it is part of the process that is helping me win matches and perform well," added Iga Swiatek.