After downing Naomi Osaka in the Miami Open final to complete the “Sunshine Double,” Iga Swiatek is now the No. 1 tennis player in the world.
It’s the first time in her career that Swiatek has reached the top ranking.
She moved up just one spot from No. 2, filling the hole that Ash Barty left when she announced her retirement from professional tennis last month. Barty spent more than two years at No. 1.
“She’s an incredible person, a great tennis player,” Barty said of Swiatek taking over the No. 1 spot. “She thoroughly deserves it. I hope that she can take it and still be her, do it her own way, and really chase what she’s after in her career and her dreams.”
Swiatek has been steadily climbing the world rankings since 2017, when she was ranked 587th in the world. In 2018, she reached a career high of 174 before breaking into the Top 50 in 2019 at 49th. She reached the top 20 for the first time in 2020, hitting No. 17 before rising to No. 4 in the world in 2021. Following her win at Indian Wells, Swiatek took over the No. 2 spot.
I tell you folks, it's harder than it looks ⚡️It's a long way to the top, @iga_swiatek! 🤘📈 #1GA 📈 pic.twitter.com/lLOcfTWScs— wta (@WTA) April 4, 2022
I tell you folks, it's harder than it looks ⚡️It's a long way to the top, @iga_swiatek! 🤘📈 #1GA 📈 pic.twitter.com/lLOcfTWScs
The 2020 French Open champion is currently on a 17-match winning streak and is the first woman to win the first three WTA 1000 events in a year.
She is just the 28th woman to top the world rankings and the first Polish player – man or woman – to top the world rankings.
“I usually don’t focus on numbers, on rankings, but this moment is huge to me as I have become the first Polish, female or male, tennis player to reach the top spot in singles,” Swiatek wrote on Twitter. “I hope maybe one day there will be more of us in Poland playing tennis at the highest possible level.
“I’m extremely grateful that my work could be an inspiration for some people. And last but not least…I love the game and appreciate every moment of these days.”
🥇 It’s official today and I want to give myself, my family, my team, and partners a moment to celebrate it and to be happy about it... ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/vK4v9NyHFj— Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) April 4, 2022
🥇 It’s official today and I want to give myself, my family, my team, and partners a moment to celebrate it and to be happy about it... ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/vK4v9NyHFj
Osaka, who had fallen all the way to No. 77 after a trying year, rose to No. 35 following her run in Miami. Barbora Krejcikova rose to No. 2, equaling a career best, while Paula Badosa climbed to third. Danielle Collins found herself in the top 10 for the first time at No. 8, while Jessica Pegula rose to a career-high No. 13 in the rankings.