Iga Swiatek picks Serena Williams as her dream player to compete as she regrets not facing the legend ever


Iga Swiatek picks Serena Williams as her dream player to compete as she regrets not facing the legend ever

Iga Swiatek and Serena Williams in one frame (Image Credit: Tennis.com)

Tennis champion Iga Swiatek lived a dream season where she not only won 6 WTA singles titles and 2 Grand Slam titles but also became the World No.1 in the WTA rankings. She finished the season 2022 with an impressive 11,085 points. This has put her on the pedestal for great achievements ahead in the next season.

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At the young age of 21 years she became the first Polish woman and 4th woman after Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, and Serena Williams as the World No.1 for more than 30 weeks consecutively in her first stint. As the 2022 French Open and US Open champion prepares herself for the 2023 season, she paused to answer a few questions in a new interview given to American sports broadcaster ESPN.

She talked elaborately about many facets of her life. When she was asked about her idols and who she would love to face on the court, she gave the name of 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams as her ideal opponent.

“If I could face one of the legends of women’s tennis on a court, it would be Serena Williams without a doubt. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the honor of playing against her. We also all admire Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova, whom I met a year ago, they are great people,” she said.

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Iga Swiatek would like to make the 2023 season as memorable as the 2022 season as she would love to scale new heights during the 2023 season.

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What changed for Iga Swiatek after becoming World No.1?

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek ranks no.1 in the WTA rankings. She is more than 6000 points ahead of Ons Jabeur of Tunisia who is ranked 2nd on the leaderboard with a whopping 5055 points. As World No.1, expectations also rose for the Polish player as now, her fans and viewers expect her to win every match and tournament. But the 21-year-old has learned to soak in the pressure and bring her best on the court.

“During this year I learned many things about myself. The most important thing is that, regardless of the situation, I can find a solution that changes the course of the game. I can also drive the pressure of being number one: having all eyes on me and still playing freely,” she added further.

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The first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open will start in a month. But before that, she will take part in the inaugural edition of the United Cup, and represent her nation Poland.

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