Iga Swiatek has said that she accepts being world No. 1 puts a target on her back after losing to Coco Gauff in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open.
Swiatek has been No. 1 for 72 weeks, first taking the top spot in April 2022. The Polish player dominated the WTA Tour last year, building up a 37-match winning streak. She also won two Grand Slams at the Roland Garros and the US Open.
While she has still seen a lot of success this season, including a fourth major win at the 2023 French Open and holding onto her No. 1 ranking, Swiatek has met with more defeats than last year, including in the semi-finals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati this week, where she lost to world No. 7 Gauff for the first time in her career.
Speaking in the press conference after the match, Swiatek said that she was aware of other players, including Gauff, being motivated to get a win against her as they see defeating the world No. 1 as one of the ultimate obstacles to overcome. The 22-year-old also said that it is just something she has to accept.
"That [being the ultimate obstacle for Gauff] I know because they are sometimes honestly saying that in interviews. That's what I kind of have to accept if I'm going to be World No. 1," she said
Before her defeat in Cincinnati, Swiatek led 7-0 in her head-to-head with Gauff, and she maintained that she was proud of having been able to win so many matches against fellow top-ranked players like the American.
"At the end we still have to go and play, so it doesn't really matter for me what they think off court. But I'm proud that I put myself in that position to be winning so many matches against some players. That's all," she said.
Swiatek will now be looking to defend her US Open title in New York next week to bring her major titles total up to five and to keep extending her time as world No. 1.
Swiatek officially passes Wozniacki for most weeks at No. 1 among active players 1. Iga Swiatek 72 🇵🇱 2. Caroline Wozniacki 71 3. Simona Halep 64 4. Victoria Azarenka 51 5. Angelique Kerber 34 6. Naomi Osaka 25 7. Venus Williams 11 8. Karolina Pliskova 8 9. Garbine Muguruza 4
