According to Russian WTA player Liudmila Samsonova, Iga Swiatek is the real number one despite Aryna Sabalenka officially holding the number one rank.
You might think that this sounds odd and in some ways it is, but it's mostly based upon her own perception. Swiatek has certainly been one of the best players this year and has quite often played like the best player in the world but the official way it's determined is via the ranking.
The ranking is nothing but a mark of consistency that is calculated by a formula. We've seen a couple of times players hold number one despite everybody agreeing that another player is actually the better player at the given moment.
Sabalenka overtook Swiatek because she had an incredibly consistent year with some great showings. The consistency hasn't been there for the Pole this year, and she lost her rank; however, for Samsonova, she's still the player to beat.
Iga, 100%. I'm feeling she's the real No. 1. We were speaking in the final of Beijing. She came to me and she was really nice during the ceremony. It was like, 'I know sometimes it's tough.' When I started to know her better... I felt something special.
The Russian would probably find quite a few fellow colleagues agreeing with her because Swiatek held the spot for over a year. She was the consistent machine that Sabalenka became this year, and there are still chances for her to return to where she once was.
She certainly wants to do so, and the WTA Finals will be a good way to measure it. In some ways, some might even consider the winner of that event to be the best player right now because everyone sees it differently. Samsonova admires Swiatek most, and that's why she's her pick.
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