Iga Swiatek is breaking records on tennis courts. She is currently ranked number 2 in the world, having spent a considerable amount of time as the top-ranked tennis player in the world. With such great success at such a young age, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to anyone, if she is deemed to be one of the toughest competitors going around in the Women’s tour.
Last year, she created a record for the most number of wins on the WTA tour on the trot, winning 37 in a row. This record was broken after 25 years and was previously held by 5-time Grand Slam winner, Martina Hingis. No wonder, Rick Macci, Serena Williams’ childhood coach and an astute leader of the players’ acumen reserved high praise for the Pole, even comparing her with Hingis.
Rick also said that Iga is a leader when it comes to playing on clay courts, where she has that little extra time. When she won the French Open last year, Macci effusively praised, “If Serena gets in unreal shape, then we will have the COMPTON COMET versus the POLISH RIFLE coming to a court near you.” Thus, he lauded her competitive spirit and how it would be to see a fit Serena Williams pitted against her.
Can Iga Swiatek overtake Aryna Sabalenka this year to regain her world No. 1 ranking?
Iga Swiatek had a streak of 75 weeks as WTA world number 1, before surrendering the ranking to Aryna Sabalenka, following the latter’s run to the finals of the US Open and a string of consistent performances. According to Iga, it has become a little bit easier to come back to the mindset of chasing someone, as it is something she has been doing for the whole of her life.
Saying that she knew that she would drop to the second position after the US Open, she added, “…I could focus more on just working and kind of getting back to the more peaceful and normal rhythm of practicing.” Nabbing the title at the recently concluded China Open meant that Swiatek was only 590 points adrift of Aryna. The heated battle for the top spot will now culminate at the WTA Finals.
{Credits- The Guardian, ABC}
