Iga Swiatek will not be the odds-on favourite to complete the season with the WTA’s No.1 rating, however the six-time main champion has a shot to surpass Aryna Sabalenka if she will proceed on her excessive trajectory down the stretch.
Swiatek, now 1577 factors behind Sabalenka within the Race to Riyadh standings, may choose up vital factors this week in Beijing, the place Aryna Sabalenka is sitting out. The Pole can solely achieve factors over the subsequent few weeks, as she was sitting out her one month ban final 12 months and didn’t play between the US Open and the WTA Finals.
Sabalenka, in the meantime, will lose 215 factors from Beijing and is defending one other 1000 in Wuhan. Sabalenka and Swiatek earned 400 factors every finally 12 months’s WTA Finals.
Swiatek, driving excessive after kicking off her Asian swing with the title in Seoul, says she’s probably not involved concerning the rating, however admits she is conscious of her present standing in relation to Sabalenka.
“I might say it’s all the time one thing to be there within the again, however it’s not prefer it’s a principal focus,” she mentioned.
Swiatek, who faces China’s Yuan Yue in second-round motion in Beijing, believes one of the simplest ways ahead is to concentrate on profitable matches relatively than an enormous image rating situation.
“I already know that serious about the rankings, it’s not a technique to go, regardless of if you happen to’re No. 2 or regardless of if you happen to’re No. 1,” she mentioned. “It’s simply numbers. Nevertheless it doesn’t change the truth that it’s essential to form of really feel the tennis and concentrate on the advance on the courtroom, then the outcomes are going to return after that.”
2024 was tough for Swiatek as a result of she was pressured to overlook time month because of her doping ban, and that made it unattainable to earn a 3rd consecutive year-end No.1 rating. In whole, the 24-year-old has held the No.1 rating for 125 weeks, seventh most all-time.
Sabalenka’s 57 weeks – and counting – is thirteenth most all-time.
“For positive it is a completely different scenario than final 12 months after I wasn’t actually capable of defend my No. 1, like earn it,” Swiatek mentioned. “So for positive I am simply completely satisfied that I am right here and I can compete and combat for it. However… my principal focus is extra tennis-related, how I wish to play, how I really feel on courtroom.”
