Swiatek is simply the best female tennis player on the tour her lead as at April 2023 exactly a year after taking the number one position, over the chasing pack was more than 2000 points, the difference is similar to the ranking for winning a major, she has won five major titles a clear favorite at Roland Garros which she has won four times and among the favorite in any tournament she enters. The Polish star is the first player male or female from her country to rank number one in tennis and to win a major.This milestone started after the sudden retirement of Barty, it left the sports world wondering who will replace the charismatic Australian, she retired at the top at a tender age of 25, a relatively young age to retire from active sports. Tennis lovers fell in love with Serena for her fame and consistency , to some extent, Barty and Osaka tried to fill the vacuum that she left. they were consistent, attractive and inspiring, it was not just fans, brands also wanted the best, a player that can become a reference point, a serial champion. this was what iga Swiatek came to represent, she was not over awed by the challenge of filling up the space left at the top.
She went on a winning streak in 2022, that stretched from February until June winning 3 masters which included the sunshine double(Miami and Indian wells, the youngest to achieve it) Rome and the French open, it started in Doha and also had Stuttgart.it was a reign across 3 continents and 8 cities from hard court to clay it was this virtuoso performance, victory in Miami and Barty’s retirement that enabled her reach the summit barely before her 21st birthday. She surprisingly lost to Cornet at Wimbledon in the third round, it was a 37-match unbeaten run, a record this century eclipsing the legendary Williams sisters, Venus’s 35, and Serena’s 34 matches, both streaks had produced 5, hers had 6 titles.Iga was part of only six women in the open era with a 37 -match winning streak or more. later in the season, she went on to win 2 more titles which included the US open, it was the first time since 2016 that a champion won multiple slams in a calendar year, her performance earned her the number one ranking and ranking points which was more than 11,000 points, matching Serena’s run in 2013 which was one of the greatest seasons in recent times.
no wonder despite her dip in form her lead in the ranking is still substantive.
She has 5 majors in her nascent career overtaking modern popular champions such as Kerber and Barty with 3 and the 4 of Osaka and Clijsters she is equal with Sharapova and Hingis and just two behind Henin and Venus.
Iga’s playing style the best.
Her playing style is the best because it is what has given her such dominance.she is aggressive, an all court player that is so capable of turning defence into attack, she also plays percentage tennis this helps her balance her shot making accuracy and consistency. she has a powerful and also, the fastest forehand and backhand, which is better than some men in the circuit she also employs a forehand top spin similar to her idol Nadal, she is athletic this enables her retrieve balls from almost anywhere in the court and can use the drop shot to perfection. her multi dimensional skills gives her a variability and edge over her opponents.worryingly for her opponents she has the passion to get better.
Iga’s rivalries
with Barty retired and Osaka pregnant , Muguruzu on break before she finally retired, double Australian open champion Sabalenka and 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina(Elena edges her in matches played) represent her most formidable opponents while Pegula is not far behind. it is left to be seen how Gauff and Raducanu can take their games to the next level to compete at par with her at a consistent level both have won the US open title, others like Jabeur and Garcia also have the game to do so. These rivalries will definitely enrich tennis. but Sabalenka is her major rival, she briefly took the number one ranking from her after reaching the 2023 US open finals, Iga took it back few months later when she annihilated the field which had Sabalenka,Jabeur, Pegula, Gauff and Vondrousova in the 2023 season ending WTA finals winning all her matches convincingly without dropping a set with only Sabalenka and Jabeur escaping been beaten by at least a bagel. Iga leads their H2H 8-4 but lost to her in the cincinnati semi finals. Osaka is back on tour and took her to three sets on her way to her fourth french open title. it was an exciting second round match, a battle between multiple major winners,
leadership and role model
she fully understands who she is and how she can impact society, her humanitarian assistance and advocacy on the war against Ukraine is outstanding. She also promotes mental health.
Swiatek is the best for a reason
For those who follow sports and champions at the highest level they will notice that winning does not come by mistake especially if it is frequent, it requires a whole lot of sacrifice, discipline, hunger for improvement and an analytical and critical assessment of progress that eliminate bias, a search for truth and a willingness to reach beyond the comfort zone and then to replicate success. players in individual sports are more prone to loneliness. if they become established and start winning, their prize money or earnings do not replace such emptiness, which may lead to a loss of form and confidence most athletes have a team and Iga is blessed to have her dad as a mentor, adviser and number one cheer leader who believed in her before she even did, to her credit she was willing to go the extra mile and also embrace modern and innovative approach to winning. she added a sports psychologist to her team Daria Abramowicz in February 2019 a renowned specialist who she credited as helping in her first major triumph which she achieved at 18 years old, the lowest unseeded player in history to win the French open. her first trophy as a pro in just her second major on clay. before her remarkable breakthrough during the start of her career you can observe that her career path had feats such as winning all her 7 single finals in the ITF tour, beating notable players in the process and also winning junior Wimbledon. it clearly shows a player with a mental strength, a fortitude and disposition of a champion, her further education and maturity in the act of winning was a great step, an indication and a willingness for improvement. she wanted to refine her ability and master her craft. she also had a competitiveness which was nurtured early, it seems that younger siblings competing with older ones provided a platform for growth, unfortunately as a result of injuries her elder sister Agatha did not reach such heights probably, like Venus. She is alone in her pursuit of greatness, in such a short time, the 28th world number one, is currently the 9th player in the all time list of number one female players ranked for most weeks at the top, overtaking some illustrious stars like Venus,Clijsters, Austin,Osaka, Kerber and Azenreka she is already equal with Barty on 116 weeks and a week shy of matching Henin, Seles is at 178 weeks at sixth, a record she can reach next year if she maintains this level. she has already established herself in the hall of fame at such a young age.
Iga`s life is not fixated to tennis, she is also willing to do other things not necessarily like Barty that played other sports at professional level, she wants to advance her education at some point, she is also a very good writer and loves music.
Endorsement
Iga’s endorsement portfolio includes Red bull,PZU, Rolex, Lexus and ON a new brand that is associated with tennis great Roger Federer, she had also partnered earlier with Nike. as she makes more progress in her career, it will lead to more opportunities. success usually attracts more success, Serena and Osaka had set the standard.
Iga is a great inspiration for all aspiring champions, any country can produce a champion depending on the commitment of the player and their team, her inspiration is not limited to the female circuit it also cuts across gender or sports and includes any career that has an established order, she offers a motivation for such challenge, breaking difficult barriers. She is indeed a pathfinder, her indomitable spirit a lesson for everyone that nothing but the best is good enough. She is simply the best.
What we can learn from Iga Swiatek
She is creating her unique path while establishing Poland in tennis, just like PELE did starting in 1958 by taking Brazil permanently to a superpower status in international football, George Weah also created history by becoming the first and only African to win the ballon d’Or. in chess, the 16th undisputed world champion a Norwegian magnus Carlson is also a trailblazer. in tennis, Martina Hingis and more importantly Federer have made Switzerland a great tennis nation. former world number 1s Jankovic and Ivanovic with current men’s Olympic gold medalist the great Djokovic have lifted Serbia.
When you fail always try again until you succeed, the success of Iga was envisioned by her dad a former rower, he was not so successful in his career but invested his time towards his children and Iga was a reward for such commitment. credit to him but so much more credit to Iga for simply becoming the best
