At 23 years old, tennis champ Iga Swiatek achieved a remarkable feat as she remains at No. 1 for the 117th week. The Pole dethroned Australia’s Ashleigh Barty from the top spot back in April 2022. This makes her the 8th player to secure #1 in the WTA history, tying with Justine Henin.
With this feat, Swiatek became the first Polish player to achieve No. 1 position in singles. Her top streak began on April 4, 2022. Given that the player is still in a top form, her pathway to extend the record is wide open. Next on the list at No. 7 is Barty at 121 weeks. Holding the record for the most #1 weeks ever in the WTA ranking is German player Steffi Graff at 377 weeks, followed by Martina Navratilova (332 weeks), Serena Williams (319 weeks), Chris Evert (260 weeks), Martina Hingis (209 weeks), and Monica Seles (178 weeks).
Born in Warsaw on May 31, 2001, Swiatek is the daughter of a Polish Olympic rower who fostered in her a love for sports from a very young age. She excelled in her junior tournaments days, peaking at No. 5. In 2020, the 5 foot 9 player won her first Grand Slam title at French Open, beating Sofia Kenin, 6-4, 6-1 in the final. She went on to win the French Open again in 2022, 2023, and 2024, in addition to clinching the US Open title in 2022. Throughout her career, Swiatek has won 22 singles titles, including the 2023 WTA Finals. In 2023, she ranked first in Forbes’ list of “World’s Highest Paid Female Athletes”.
Next on the calendar, the player will have a shot at another Grand Slam when she joins the US Open, set to begin on August 26.