After Ashleigh Barty’s sudden retirement in April 2022, Iga Swiatek was thrust unexpectedly into the world No. 1 spot. During Swiatek’s 75-week reign as world no. 1, she won three Grand Slam titles, engineered a historic 37-match win streak, and single-handedly forced the rest of the players to hit the practice court.
At the age of 22, she has already won four major titles and is still developing into a complete player. However, it looks like the Polish star is slowly getting to the ranks of some of the greatest WTA players of all time.
Iga Swiatek named WTA Player of the Year for the second year in a row
Iga Swiatek has been named WTA Player of the Year for a second successive season. The governing body of women’s tennis announced this yesterday, awarding the world no. 1 for her brilliant performances this year, especially her WTA final crown in Cancun.
The Polish star won the French Open for the third time after winning first in 2020 and winning the other five WTA championships, which helped her regain the top spot in the rankings after briefly losing it to Aryna Sabalenka. The 22-year-old Pole, who won a tour-leading six titles, became the first player to be named WTA Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons since Serena Williams from 2012 to 2015.
The Polish star had to defeat some of her most powerful competitors to retain her position. To pay off for her dominating and fervent performance in the field, Iga Swiatek celebrated her 70th consecutive week at the WTA No. 1. This astonishing feat was achieved just twice before: by Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis. These legends have marked their spot at the word number 1 rank during their peak.
Also, Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens picked up the Doubles Team of the Year award; China’s Zheng Qinwen was named Most Improved Player; and Russian Mirra Andreeva won Newcomer of the Year. Gael Monfils wife, Elina Svitolina, who returned to tennis in April following a maternity break, was named Comeback Player of the Year after reaching the Roland Garros quarterfinals and matching her best Grand Slam result by getting to the Wimbledon semis.
When is Iga Swiatek playing next?
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has been included among the top players that will set the tennis courts on fire, as announced by the Meteora World Tennis League. The Toyam Sports Limited (TSL) Hawks will also feature ATP World No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz, WTA World No. 20 Caroline Garcia, and ATP World No. 11 Casper Ruud at the Etihad Arena from December 21st to 24th.
Mohamedali Budhwani, CMD of Toyam Sports Limited, expressed, “Becoming an integral part of the Meteora World Tennis League as a proud team owner is a moment of immense joy for us. TSL has accomplished this remarkable feat through its UAE-based subsidiary company PSS.
“We take great pride in being the owners of the Hawks team in WTL, featuring standout players such as Rudd, Hurkacz, Swiatek, and Garcia. With these top-tier tennis players on our side, we are confident in delivering thrilling matches and are determined to secure this year’s title,” he added.
The newly named TSL Hawks are owned by Pacific Star Sports (PSS), a UAE-based subsidiary company of Toyam Sports Limited. Toyam holds the highest endorsement for the tournament. Furthermore, with Iga Swiatek and fellow Polish men’s tennis starlet Hurkacz Hubert, the event will be well remembered with their country’s flag.
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