As of Monday, the native of Warsaw will be number one in the world for the first time, almost 1,700 points ahead of the Czech Barbora Krejcikova. “I’m really satisfied, fulfilled and proud of myself,” said Swiatek, who was only the fourth player to win the “Sunshine Double” with her successes in Indian Wells and Miami. “I have to celebrate now because I don’t know how long I can keep this streak going,” said the Polish woman happily.
17 wins in a row on hard court in one calendar year: Serena Williams last managed that in 2015 between the Australian Open and Toronto. “I used this series and also the ranking to have more self-confidence,” said Swiatek, whose father Tomasz once rowed at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. With her surprising French Open title in October 2020, she had already underpinned her great talent with her first tournament victory ever.
Third Swiatek win in a row
Iga Swiatek is the new dominator in women’s tennis. The 20-year-old Pole celebrates her third tournament win in a row at the Masters in Miami this year. After the retirement of Ashleigh Barty from Australia, she is now the world number one.
But Swiatek could really take off this year. “I learned a lot about myself,” she stated. “I don’t always have to feel 100 percent on the points to win against great players,” and further: “I can trust myself a bit more now,” explained the 20-year-old, who is now taking a break after the winning streak and cited a “minor arm injury” as the reason for her rejection from Charleston.
Osaka now takes defeats “cooler”
Osaka, who lost in the final, is on the way up again after falling in the world rankings. The Japanese had made her mental health problems public in the past and thus created more awareness of this topic in sport. Now she’s a little “cooler” about defeats like Saturday’s, Osaka claimed. “You have to look at it from a certain perspective. You know what run Iga is currently on,” said Osaka.
In any case, the Asian has decided to prepare particularly well for the upcoming clay court season. In addition, she would like to study the clay court king par excellence, the 13-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal, on videos and, above all, his way of moving on sand. “I’m not a clay court expert, but I think if I learn to move better I should be pretty good.”
WTA 1000 tournament in Miami
(US, $8,584,055, hard)
ATP 1000 Tournament in Miami
(US, $8,584,055, hard)
