"I thought it was impossible" - Swiatek on becoming number one

Thursday, 09 March 2023 at 14:00

Updated at Thursday, 09 March 2023 at 12:50

byBalasz Virag

Iga Swiatek never dreamed of becoming world number one because she deemed it an unreachable girl in her youth.

A decade later, 21-year-old Swiatek is indeed the number one player in the world and quite deservingly so. She won over 30 matches in a row last year and rose to number one in the process which was fully deserved. A year later she's yet to be dethroned but not much has changed in her life. There is more pressure and expectations, as she faces a difficult road to the title in Indian Wells, but she always had them.

"Because. I thought it was not possible. It’s something that is so over my expectations. It’s a place where anyone wants to be. But for sure, it comes with a lot of pressure and expectations."

— Swiatek on becoming number one<br>

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Her performances in the Persian Gulf were somewhat criticized, especially after she lost the Dubai Championships final to Krejcikova. Swiatek herself was very happy with the way she played as she won a big trophy but still, criticism came from the outside.

After Doha and Dubai, I felt it pretty strongly. Because I won a WTA 500 and was in the final of a 1000 -- it was like a small streak of matches that were pretty solid and I was really composed. But, still, I lost in the final and people were, I don’t know, surprised, not happy with the performance, just critical."

— Swiatek on Dubai and Doha<br>

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Despite the amazing year in 2022, Swiatek isn't concerned with the past. She understands that every year matters and her focus is mainly on doing well this year. The goal is the play well and remain number one in the world.

I want to stick to not coming back to what happened last year. Every tournament is a different story. Honestly, if I play well, I’ll be high in the rankings. So I’m pretty sure I’m not going to defend all the points, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not going to stay at No.1.