Iga Swiatek
is the first tennis player to reach 100 matches as the world No. 1 since Serena
Williams.
The Polish
player solidified her position as the best in the world following Ashleigh
Barty's surprising retirement. Swiatek won eight titles in 2022, including the
French Open and the US Open, which set her apart from other players. For a
significant part of the season, she had more than double the points of the
world No. 2.
The
incredible dominance Swiatek displayed in 2022 faced challenges in 2023 with
the rise of Aryna Sabalenka, the champion of the 2023 Australian Open, and
Elena Rybakina, the winner of Wimbledon, Indian Wells, and Rome.
Nevertheless,
Swiatek has maintained her position at the top of the rankings and recently
achieved the milestone of playing 100 matches as the reigning world No. 1, a
feat not seen since
Serena Williams in 2013.
Serena
Williams spent over three years as the top-ranked player until she was
surpassed by German Angelique Kerber in 2016.
In total,
only seven WTA players have reached this milestone, including
Chris Evert,
Martina Navratilova,
Steffi Graf,
Monica Seles,
Martina Hingis, and Justine
Henin.
Currently,
Swiatek has spent 69 weeks as the world No. 1, making her the 11th player with
the most weeks at the top, just two weeks away from catching up to Caroline
Wozniacki.
Surpassing
the Danish player will take her more time to climb further, as the next on the
list is Lindsay Davenport with 98 weeks, followed by Henin with 98.
At 22 years
old, Swiatek has won four Grand Slam titles, with three at Roland Garros and
one at the US Open.
Her next
challenge will be at the WTA 1000 Canadian Open, which starts on August 7.
Defending champion Simona Halep will not be participating in the tournament,
and Swiatek will aim to improve her result from last year when she reached only
the third round and lost to the Brazilian and eventual finalist Beatriz Haddad
Maia 6-4, 3-6, 7-5