Iga Swiatek 99 not out at No 1 – ‘It is pretty cool’

Shahida Jacobs 16 Apr 2024 9:01 AM

Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates after winning a point

Iga Swiatek has notched up another milestone as she has moved ahead of Lindsay Davenport in the all-time list for most weeks spent No 1 in the WTA Rankings.

The four-time Grand Slam winner started her 99th week at No 1 on Monday – one more than Davenport – and she will reach the magical 100 next week as she is already assured of remaining at the top of the rankings until after Roland Garros.

The next target on the all-time list is Justine Henin with the Belgiun sitting on 117 weeks in eighth place while Ashleigh Barty is on 121 weeks in seventh.

Players often state that they don’t take too much note of records, but Swiatek admitted that this was one statistic that made her sit up and take note.

“I’m proud of my progress and everything in terms of how I’ve handled all the different challenges during my career. Belonging to the Top 10 of players in terms of weeks at No 1 is pretty cool,” she said during a Porsche Tennis Grand Prix press conference.

READ MORE: Women who have spent most weeks at No 1 in WTA Rankings: Steffi Graf No 1, Iga Swiatek edges closer to 100 weeks

The Pole added: “I’ve learnt to deal with expectations, especially with outside pressure. I concentrate on setting my own goals and not to let myself be influenced by outside expectations.”

There is another goal in her sight this week as she will look to become the fourth player after Tracy Austin, Martina Navratilova and Maria Sharapova to win three titles in a row in Stuttgart.

“Stuttgart is an ideal start to the clay court season,” she said. “The pace of the surface here is between hard courts and normal clay which helps me to transition. Though I had my first practice on clay today, I feel ready especially as I have good memories in my mind of how I played here last year.”

Swiatek, who is 8-0 at the event, has beaten Aryna Sabalenka in the final the last two years and besides winning two trophies, she also drove away with two Porsches as the winners receive a luxury car.

And she makes good use of them when she is home.

“When I’m practicing a lot and I’m tired, I like to have peace in my car,” Swiatek said. “I really like how comfortable the Panamera is. Really, I mean, sometimes I’m putting loud music, but overall it’s pretty quiet, pretty smooth. Still you can feel the sporty vibe.

“Sometimes I like to drive a little bit faster, but not too crazy. Obviously I have so much adrenaline on the court that sometimes I don’t need any more off the court. I also have 911 at home. When I want to mix it up, I jump into the 911.”