Iga Swiatek has now spent 100 weeks at the top of tennis, and she reflected on that in a short social media post.
The Polish player took over as world number one on April 3rd, 2022. Many at that time pointed out that she took over the spot only because Ashleigh Barty retired from tennis, and while that was true in a sense, Swiatek would quickly show that she was truly the best player in the world.
She would go on to win 37 matches in a row, including the French Open once more, which only cemented her status the world number one. She finished that year unchallenged, holding the world no. 1 spot comfortably for the rest of the year.
Last year was a bit different because it was the first time that she really had to fight to keep the world’s number one rank. Some players like Aryna Sabalenka notably stepped up and played really well, which caused Swiatek to lose her rank.
She lost the world number one spot on September 17th, 2023, when the Belarusian briefly took over the top of tennis. After some weeks, Swiatek would find her way back to the number one rank on November 5th after winning the WTA Finals.
She finished the year as world number one and began this year as world number one. So far, she’s been able to hold it, and thanks to that, she’s up to 100 weeks as world number one, which she reflected upon on social media. She called the time challenging and stressful but also fun.
“What a challenging, fun, sometimes frustrating and stressful, exciting and memorable journey it is. Thank you all for the support!”
Now, it’s time for Swiatek to move up the history tables even further, as she showed no signs of slowing down. Up next is the Madrid Open for the Polish player, and all of her rivals as well.
