“It’s been quite a ride” Iga Swiatek reminisces her journey to becoming World No.1
Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek had a dream of a start to her 2022 season. The Pole kicked off her season with consistent semi-final finishes during the Australian hard court swing, before a rare early exit at the Dubai Tennis Championships. But since then it has been no turning back for the 20-year-old as she notched up a hat-trick of wins at the WTA 1000 events in Doha, Indian Wells, and Miami and capping off her ascendance to World No.1.
With her triumph at the Miami Open, Swiatek has joined an exclusive club of Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki as the only players to win three or more WTA 1000 titles in a season. She is also the youngest player to occupy the summit of the standings since Wozniacki in 2010. Her meteoric rise to the top is nothing short of remarkable, considering 18 months ago she was ranked 54th in the world and certainly not in contention for a Grand Slam.
It started with her stunning breakthrough at the 2020 French Open when she became the youngest women’s singles champion in nearly three decades. It was a slow but gradual progression since then with winning her maiden WTA 1000 event at the Italian Open last year and turning it up a level with a trio of wins this year. Starting the season at the 9th spot, Swiatek was on a roll in the court to ascend to the top spot in just three months. The Pole reflected on her stunning rise to World No.1 and shared a tweet saying “It’s been quite a ride,” retweeting an image of her during her junior days alongside a present one at the Miami Open.
Iga Swiatek looks to consolidate top spot during clay court season
After dominating the spring hard court season, Iga Swiatek will head into the Golden Swing as one of the favorites to win the Roland Garros title. Ash Barty’s shock retirement and defending champion Barbora Krejcikova’s injury struggles put Swiatek in pole position to dominate the clay-court season and consolidate her position as the World No.1. The Pole already holds a healthy lead of over 1700 points on second-ranked Krejcikova and there is no challenger insight for her top spot in Race to Finals as well. With the ranking pressure off her, the 20-year-old will be looking to add a second Grand Slam to her tally added to her triumph at the 2020 French Open.
Swiatek withdrew from the WTA Charleston Open with an arm injury and will kickstart her European clay-court season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuggart. She will headline the WTA 500 event which begins on the 16th of April, and also features 8 of the top 10 ranked players.
T Rushitha
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