What a season it’s been for Iga Swiatek, right? She grabbed her sixth Grand Slam crown at Wimbledon, staying perfect at 6-0 in major finals. She added titles in Cincinnati and Seoul to reach 25 career trophies. The year started slow, but once she found her rhythm, the Pole reminded everyone how unstoppable she can be. You’d think the WTA season’s close would bring her some downtime, yet Swiatek’s already hit another milestone heading into the off-season.

On Tuesday, Tennis Channel took to X to share that the world No. 2 has become only the second woman this century to finish four straight years inside the Top 2! That’s right, she ended 2022 and 2023 ranked No. 1, then 2024 and 2025 at No. 2. The only other player to match that run? Serena Williams, who held the No. 1 spot from 2013 through 2015 and finished 2016 ranked No. 2.

Such consistency harks back to earlier eras of women’s tennis, when dominance year after year was the norm. Since the WTA rankings began in 1975, Iga Swiatek is now the seventh player to record four or more consecutive Top 2 finishes, a mark that highlights her remarkable steadiness at the top of the sport.

In WTA history, only seven women have achieved at least four straight years ranked in the Top 2: Chris Evert (12 from 1975-86), Martina Navratilova (8 from 1982-89), Steffi Graf (10 from 1987-96), Martina Hingis (4 from 1997-2000), Lindsay Davenport (4 from 1998-2001), Serena Williams (4 from 2013-16), and Iga Swiatek (4 from 2022-25).

Since 2000, only a few players have managed sustained dominance like that. Just behind Williams and Swiatek, Ashleigh Barty and Aryna Sabalenka each held the Top 2 spots for three consecutive years. Several others, including Davenport, Justine Henin, Serena Williams again, Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, and Simona Halep, managed two-year stretches.

Even though Swiatek’s season didn’t end with another title at the WTA Finals, this milestone still shows her staying power. And while she was knocked out of the group stage in Riyadh, she kept her spirits high about it!

Iga Swiatek gets superstitious about her loss at the WTA Finals

The Pole’s WTA Finals journey has been quite the rollercoaster since her title win in 2023. After a flawless run to her first Finals crown without dropping a set, she came back in 2024 as the defending champ only to be knocked out in the group stage due to a lower set-winning percentage, despite a 2-1 record. Then in 2025, even with a strong season highlighted by a Wimbledon win, Swiatek fell short again at the year-end event, including a tough loss to Coco Gauff that dashed her hopes of reclaiming the year-end No. 1 spot.

Yet, she took this latest setback with remarkable grace and a touch of humor. She mused that maybe she had won “too much in these last years” and called it “karma.” Iga Swiatek said after her last match, “Honestly, I did everything I could today, so no regrets. I felt like I was really in the zone. I had a positive mindset.” She emphasized that tennis isn’t perfect and that she never gave up, but sometimes effort just isn’t enough, which was understandably sad for her.

Despite feeling good mentally, physically, and tennis-wise, Swiatek admitted she couldn’t quite explain why she didn’t make it out of the group stage. It’s a tough spot to be in: accepting the outcome but still struggling with it emotionally. At 24, she knows these moments are part of the sport’s grind and the unpredictability that keeps tennis so compelling.

Wrapping up the year ranked in the Top 2 for the fourth straight time, Iga Swiatek’s outlook shines with optimism. Since she won’t have to defend many points until Wimbledon next year, there’s a real chance to capitalize on the season’s first half. What do you think? Will karma turn in her favor next season?