Iga Swiatek reigned supreme as the WTA's best player for the second straight year after a scintillating finish to the season.
Despite the notion from many quarters saying she wasn't quite as dominant as in 2022, the numbers paint a different story. Yes, she faced much sterner tests and opposition in 2023, but she was unequivocally the top-performing player overall in a captivating season.
Shortly after the end of the WTA season, Swiatek was chosen as our 2023 WTA Player of the Year, and here are some of the numbers and milestones that reinforce this vote.
13 Wins Over Top 10 Players
If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Iga Swiatek stood by these words after earning an impressive 13 wins over Top 10 players. In fact, she is the first player to tally 10 or more wins over this caliber of opposition for successive seasons since Serena Williams (2013 & 2014).
Most Match Wins With 68 In 2023
Swiatek scored 68 match wins this year, at least one more than during her breathtaking 2022 season. For two calendar years, the Pole has tallied 135 wins. The last player to win over 130 matches in two successive seasons is the legendary American Serena Williams (2012 & 2013) who won 136.
First Woman To Defend Roland Garros Crown In 16 Years
Swiatek won her third Roland Garros title in June, beating Karolina Muchova in a gripping final. It was the first time a WTA player had successfully defended the championship in Paris since Justine Henin completed a three-peat in 2007.
Most Titles Of Any Woman
Swiatek won a tour-leading six titles in 2023, more than any other singles player on the women's tour. What is perhaps astoundingly good about this achievement, she triumphed at every level, from a 250 to the Grand Slam. Swiatek reigned in Warsaw (250), Doha (500), Stuttgart (500), Beijing (1000), the WTA Finals, and the French Open (Grand Slam).
Highest Prize Money Earner
Swiatek finished the season as the top prize money earner on the women's tour again. Although she fell marginally short of eclipsing last year's total, she pocketed a colossal sum amounting to $9,857,686 this year. During the season, the 22-year-old crossed the $20 million mark in career earnings. and ranks in the Top 15 of that list.
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