Nearly two years after she first became world No 1, Iga Swiatek admits that she is “pretty proud” of how she has handled everything that has been thrown at her.
Aged just 20 in April 2022, Swiatek ascended the throne following Ashleigh Barty’s retirement, but there was no doubt that she was a deserved No 1 as she won three consecutive titles – the Qatar Open, Indian Wells Open and Miami Open – before taking over the top spot in the WTA Rankings.
The first few months were difficult as suddenly she was the top target for most players due to the No 1 ranking, but she handled the pressure with aplomb.
Swiatek has won 19 titles with 12 of those – including Sunday’s Indian Wells Open final win over Maria Sakkari – coming after she first become world No 1 and she admits she is much more comfortable at the top these days.
“I remember everything [after first becoming No 1], honestly. It was pretty crazy. I’m pretty proud of the way I adapted to all these challenges that I had to face,” the four-time Grand Slam winner said.
“First becoming world No 1, then actually feeling comfortable with it and using it on court and being the target of many players that wanted to beat particularly me, you know, and then starting next season as world No 1. So I’m really proud of how I handled everything.
“It’s not like it just happens and then it’s done. You have many things, you know, that you have to face during one season. So, yeah, I’m just pretty proud.”
This week marks her 96th week at No 1 in the rankings, which puts her 10th in the all-time list and just two weeks adrift of Lindsay Davenport in eighth.
Swiatek added: “I mean, there are going to be ups and downs still, so I don’t expect I’m always going to feel comfortable with pressure. Sometimes it hits harder; sometimes it doesn’t hit at all.
“I wouldn’t say that at some point I felt comfortable and that’s it, now I’m going to be comfortable till the rest of my career.”
In an interview with WTA Insider, she was what it actually feels like to be the No 1 player in women’s tennis.
“I would say you just feel like your game is better than anyone out there,” she said. “Obviously, it’s not for granted that you’re going to win because of that, but you feel like you have skills and you have everything to be able to present your best game.
“Because of that – I don’t expect it’s going to happen all the time – but I just know that it’s somewhere there and I need to [do] the best work to put it out there.”