It's pretty exhausting being world number one, says crestfallen Iga Swiatek

By SABC Sport
4th September 2023

After being bundled out of the US Open, Iga Swiatek has already come to terms with no longer being world number one when the tournament ends.

The Pole enjoyed an incredible 75-week run at the peak of women's tennis, the third-longest streak ever behind the indomitable Stefanie Graff (186) and Martini Hingis (80).

On Sunday, Swiatek was knocked out of the running at Flushing Meadows by arch-nemesis Jelena Ostapenko, a player Swiatek has yet to defeat in four attempts. And with the continued red-hot form of world number two Aryna Sabalenka - who is through to the Round of 16 in New York - the Belarusian is set to take over the mantle.

"Well, it meant a lot, obviously, it was great," reflected Swiatek on her epic run at the apex of the women's game

"On the other hand, this last part, it was pretty exhausting. I still need to do all this stuff that my team and all these great players like Roger [Federer] or Novak [Djokovic] or Rafa [Nadal]are telling about: you just have to focus on the tournaments, not the rankings."

Swiatek went on to admit that she does enjoy chasing records, but that it's a double-edged sword as you have to deal with the mental anguish should you fail.

"I would love to extend this record a little bit longer," continued the four-time grand slam winner.

"This is something that when I was younger, I actually kind of wanted to break some record or have something. I already did that 'cause I already won a Slam as a first Polish player. Obviously being No.1 as the third player in history is great.

"But for sure when it happens, when you lose it, there are some sad emotions. As I said at the beginning, all these great players know it's going to come back if you're going to work hard, focus on the right things, just develop as a player."

However, it's far from doom and gloom for Swiatek. the 22-year-old has shown wisdom, skill and grit beyond her years to ammass an incredible 53-9 record for 2023 and defend her French Open title to join an elite group of women in the open era who have defended their Paris crown.

And this is not lost on Swiatek, who is already looking forward to getting back on the practice court.

"I think overall, with my history, this season I've done a pretty good job just staying on a constant level, maybe except some matches that I shouldn't mess up," she continued.

"But I'm happy that I'm going to have some time now to practice because I really, really need that and I really miss that.

"Besides this match, which was pretty weird, I feel like I am progressing as a player. I have more skills. The hardest part is already done for me, but this season was really tough and intense. It's not easy to cope with all of this stuff. I'm just happy that I will have time to reset a little bit."