Iga Swiatek's latest ranking milestone came by passing Lindsay Davenport and reaching 99 weeks in the process as World No.1. She will reach the magic 100 mark next week and is assured to add to that with Roland Garros on the horizon.
Swiatek will next be heading towards Justine Henin's total of 117 weeks in eighth place with Ashleigh Barty on 121 weeks in seventh. The four-time Grand Slam champion said that it is one she does notice but also one that isn't at the same time as she aims to manage her own expectations and not look at outside pressures.
“I’m proud of my progress and everything in terms of how I’ve handled all the different challenges during my career. Belonging to the Top 10 of players in terms of weeks at No 1 is pretty cool,” she said during a
Porsche Tennis Grand Prix press conference. "I've learnt to deal with expectations, especially with outside pressure. I concentrate on setting my own goals and not to let myself be influenced by outside expectations.”
A multiple time Stuttgart champion, Swiatek returns looking for a three peat and it is a tournament she enjoys. “Stuttgart is an ideal start to the clay court season,” she said. “The pace of the surface here is between hard courts and normal clay which helps me to transition. Though I had my first practice on clay today, I feel ready especially as I have good memories in my mind of how I played here last year.”
The Clay Queen will rise again in the next few weeks: Iga Swiatek aims for Stuttgart trio.
But does Swiatek use the cars that she has won in the last two years? Of course as a Porsche ambassador she is going to say she does, but she described how she utilises them when back home. “When I’m practicing a lot and I’m tired, I like to have peace in my car,” Swiatek said. “I really like how comfortable the Panamera is. Really, I mean, sometimes I’m putting loud music, but overall it’s pretty quiet, pretty smooth. Still you can feel the sporty vibe.
“Sometimes I like to drive a little bit faster, but not too crazy. Obviously I have so much adrenaline on the court that sometimes I don’t need any more off the court. I also have 911 at home. When I want to mix it up, I jump into the 911.”
