In the latest WTA rankings released Iga Swiatek has moved to the tenth spot in the all-time list of women’s singles players with the most weeks as world no. 1. She has the accolade achieved by spending 72 weeks at the top of the WTA rankings, pipping Carolina Wozniacki who stayed world no.1 for 71 weeks.
The world of tennis had witnessed an unprecedented shift when Iga Swiatek, a 20-year-old Polish player etched her name in the annals of history by claiming the coveted ranking. Swiatek’s ascent to this pinnacle was a testament to her remarkable journey, yet it came through a sudden shift in the hierarchy not directly driven by her.
That win secures #1 after Canada for Iga, on Monday she will have the most Weeks for active players:
🇵🇱 Swiatek 72 Weeks
🇩🇰 Wozniacki 71 Weeks
🇷🇴 Halep 64 Weeks
🇧🇾 Azarenka 51 Weeks
🇩🇪 Kerber 34 Weeks
🇯🇵 Osaka 25 Weeks
🇺🇲 Venus 11 Weeks
🇨🇿 Pliskova 8 Weeks
🇪🇸 Muguruza 4 Weeks pic.twitter.com/TKiYTjsYxv— Tennis Updates (@TennisUpdates23) August 11, 2023
In March 2022, the tennis world was jolted by the unexpected retirement of Ashleigh Barty, 25, the Australian tennis star who had held the reins as the world no. 1 for a record 121 weeks, 7th in the pegging order in the history of women’s tennis. Swiatek, at the time, was already showcasing her prowess on the courts, making waves with her commanding victories and meteoric rise in the rankings.
Just before Barty’s announcement, Swiatek, who had already won her first Grand Slam at French Open, clinched a remarkable title at Indian Wells, catapulting herself to a career-high ranking of no. 2 in the world. However, despite her impressive performances, she remained tantalizingly short of Barty’s coveted top spot by 2200 ranking points.
Welcome to the club ☝️
@iga_swiatek is the 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 Polish player in tennis history to become singles World No.1 🇵🇱
#1GA pic.twitter.com/W8IEJh9C1n— wta (@WTA) March 26, 2022
The reigning world No. 1, Barty, subsequently declared her retirement and requested the removal of her name from the ranking list. This opened an unprecedented opportunity for Swiatek to move to the top spot of women’s rankings. She solidified her position further as the world’s top player by winning French Open and US Open titles that year.
Fans react to Iga Swiatek’s rise to the top after Barty’s retirement
The question of whether Iga Swiatek would reign as world no. 1 with the most number of weeks (72) among the active players, had Ashleigh Barty not retired, has sparked discussions within the tennis community. In all fairness to Swiatek, she has dominated most of the active women players she has played against ever since she became world number one, last year.
A series of remarkable achievements propelled Swiatek to the top spot – her first Grand Slam victory at the 2020 French Open and her consistent performances, securing a total of 4 Grand Slam titles. These accomplishments provide evidence that Swiatek’s journey was not solely influenced by Barty’s absence but rather resulted from her own determination, hard work, skills, and competence.
However, it is also reasonable to speculate that Barty would have presented a formidable challenge, potentially shaping the trajectory of Swiatek’s career. Barty’s retirement created a unique opportunity for Swiatek to ascend to the pinnacle of the sport, and her absence allowed Swiatek to rise to the occasion. Swiatek’s critics would label her as an opportunist.
Barty achieved it when iga was standing on her way. That should be enough to tell the story. Love iga but if Barty was still around, we can’t say iga’s record would be same. Barty played just 1 month in 2022 and already is one of iga’s 3 losses in 2022
— Sayan (@Tweets_by_Sayan) June 2, 2022
Ok. I didn’t check it, just by memory! – but still a gift by Ash who could have beaten most consecutive weeks as No 1 ( 184 ? ) If she had played after AO untill end of year ! 🍀
— Davidsen Soren (@davidsen_soren) August 11, 2023
It’s also important to note that Swiatek suffered defeats in both her encounters against Barty in straight sets, when they competed in Madrid in 2021 (clay court) and Adelaide in 2022 (hard court), highlighting Barty’s dominance. While Barty’s retirement may have expedited Swiatek’s rise, it does not diminish the authenticity of her achievements.