Ashleigh Barty and Monica Seles share delight as Iga Swiatek reaches latest ranking milestone of 100 weeks

Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek achieved another feat after reaching a record number of weeks as World No.1. Following her latest rankings milestone, the Roland Garros champion was praised by WTA great Monica Seles and retired former World No.1 Ashleigh Barty.

Swiatek become just the ninth women’s player in history to spend 100 weeks at the No.1 position in the WTA Rankings. The four-time Grand Slam champion joined an exclusive group that includes Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams, Chris Evert, Martina Hingis, Seles, Barty and Justine Henin.

The nine-time Grand Slam winner lauded Swiatek's achievement, stating the 22-year old's work ethic and dedication were instrumental in her meteoric rise.

"Congratulations Iga on an incredible achievement of 100 weeks as the No 1 player in the world of tennis! Your dedication and hard work have truly paid off. Keep inspiring us with your amazing talent on the court!” said Seles in a statement to the official WTA website.

Barty, who shockingly retired in March 2022 after winning the Australian Open, expressed joy at her successor's hard work and achievement.

“One-hundred weeks at No 1 is a huge achievement in any era," said Barty. "Congratulations to Iga. I’m so happy for her and have loved watching her hard work pay off.”