Iga Swiatek puts Ashleigh Barty behind her in a very special record list

Today is a very special day for Iga Swiatek, as the 23-year-old passes Ashleigh Barty, who is now seventh on the all-time list for the most weeks at the world number one position. She has now held the top spot for 122 weeks.

On April 4, 2022, less than two weeks after the Australian announced her surprise retirement from tennis, the Pole reached the highest possible ranking for the first time in her career.

Since then, there have only been eight weeks in which the five-time Grand Slam player was not the highest-ranked player in the game. That happened in late 2023, when Aryna Sabalenka spent a total of eight weeks at the top.

In her first stint, Swiatek was number 1 for 75 consecutive weeks. Now she is a major player again, having held the top spot for the last 47 weeks.

Next on the list to beat is Monica Seles, who was the top-ranked player for a total of 178 weeks.

Swiatek became number 1 in stunning circumstances, but she deserved it

When she retired, Barty was only 25 years old and well above the WTA rankings.

Meanwhile, the Pole had just reached the world No. 2 ranking for the first time in her career. But instead of focusing on chasing the former three-time Grand Slam champion, Swiatek learned that she would be the next No. 1 after Miami in 2022.

“I didn’t fully understand what had happened. Ash was the undisputed leader, she played the best tennis – even though I knew where she would hit, it was still difficult to deal with her swing. At first, her departure was an abstraction for me. I felt it was a great loss for the sport. I have a lot of respect for her. Moreover, I had an idea of ​​what the end of her career would mean for me. “I was number two for only a few days, and suddenly there was a chance to climb to the top of the rankings. It hit me hard, because I never thought such a scenario would be possible,” the 23-year-old told Polish media last year.

Swiatek may have become world number 1 under strange circumstances, but she has since absolutely proven that she deserves to be where she is today.