"What a year! Time for a well deserved rest!" - Chris Evert congratulates Iga Swiatek for incredible 2022 season
Iga Swiatek's level of tennis in the 2022 season often left the tennis world dumbfounded and Chris Evert has again reflected on the World No. 1's dominance, congratulating her on a great season. Evert suggested that Swiatek could now enjoy some well-deserved rest after a highly successful but intense year.
The Polish superstar's 2022 season ended with a semi-final loss to Aryna Sabalenka at the WTA Finals this past weekend. She won a staggering 67 of 76 matches this year, clinching eight titles, including two Major titles at the French Open and the US Open.
Evert reacted to the same, highlighting Iga Swiatek's dominant run, including her record-breaking 37-match unbeaten streak earlier this year. Swiatek won a trophy for finishing the season as the World No. 1, named after Chris Evert herself.
"And what a year it was! 8 tournament wins, 37 match streak, 2 majors…..dominant…time for a well deserved rest! Congratulations," Chris Evert wrote on Twiiter.
twitter.com/jjlovestennis/…
And what a year it was! 8 tournament wins, 37 match streak, 2 majors…..dominant…time for a well deserved rest! Congratulations 👏👍❤️ twitter.com/jjlovestennis/…
Swiatek's run to the last four of the WTA Finals gave her a few more ranking points, making her just the second player to amass at least 11,000 points at the end of the year since the current ranking system was established in 2009.
Serena Williams was the first player to do so and the only player to go on to breach the 13,000 points mark, back in 2013. The 21-year-old Pole ended the season with 11,085 points to her name, 6,030 points more than World No. 2 Ons Jabeur.
"Kind of thing that is gonna stay with you for the rest of your career" - Iga Swiatek on her 2022 season
Iga Swiatek earned the world No. 1 ranking for the very first time in her career back in the first week of April and has not let go of the top spot ever since, a glowing testament to her dominance. Swiatek herself reflected on the memorable season and said that the way her season progressed was "just crazy" to think about. Despite her season ending with a loss at the WTA Finals, the three-time Grand Slam champion is more than satisfied.
"It's just crazy that it happens," Swiatek said, according to the WTA. "It's that kind of thing that is gonna stay with you for the rest of your career. And it's something to be proud of. Even though I lost today, I'm going to try to enjoy everything."
She will now celebrate her success in 2022 while on vacation and is looking forward to not thinking about tennis for at least eight days before she returns to the practice courts for pre-season training.
"I want to spend eight days not thinking about anything and not doing anything. That's the first time I'm gonna have a vacation like that because usually I went to places where I could do sightseeing, and I still had an active vacation," Swiatek added.