21-Year-Old Iga Swiatek Accomplishes Massive Feat That Eluded Tennis Great Serena Williams as She Shares the Crown With Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis

The Polish tennis sensation Iga Swiatek is enjoying yet another incredible year in terms of her achievements in professional tennis. In March 2022, when Swiatek was only 20 years old, she became the World No. 1 in the WTA Tour rankings. At the time, she earned the World No. 1 ranking owing to the retirement of Ashleigh Barty. However, since then, Swiatek has gone from strength to strength since becoming the top-ranked women’s singles player. It’s almost the end of May 2023, and Swiatek has been irreplaceable at the top. In the process, she has joined a distinguished list of players that previously consisted of legends: Martina Hingis and Steffi Graf.

Her epic achievement reflects the immense potential she has. It’s also an achievement through which she has managed to surpass the American tennis legend Serena Williams during her first stint as World No. 1.

It’s 60 consecutive weeks at the top and counting for the incredible Iga Swiatek

Since clinching the World No. 1 ranking, Swiatek has won the Miami Open, Stuttgart Open (twice), Italian Open, French Open, US Open, San Diego Open, and the Qatar Open. Right now, Swiatek is the favorite going into the 2023 French Open, where she will be hoping to put up a successful defense of her 2022 crown.

A tweet shared by the official Twitter handle of The Tennis Channel revealed the distinguished company Swiatek has joined owing to her remarkable first stint at World No. 1. The tweet read, “@iga_swiatek kicks off her milestone 60th consecutive week at #1 today”.

The tweet also stated, “Swiatek is just the *THIRD* woman in WTA rankings history to accumulate 60 or more weeks in their first stint at #1. The other two women to do it: Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis.”

Read More: ‘We Are Even More Consistent That the Guys’- Iga Swiatek Takes Down the Male Tour After Massive Prize Money Insult

How long did Serena Williams’ first stint as World No. 1 last?

In 2002, a young Serena Williams replaced sister Venus as World No. 1 after defeating her to clinch the Wimbledon title. She stayed at the top of the WTA Tour rankings for a year, as she registered her second consecutive Wimbledon title in 2003. Unfortunately, the 2003 Wimbledon proved to be Serena’s final tournament of the year. A niggling knee quadriceps tendon injury forced her to undergo surgery, and as a result, she slipped down the rankings.

However, when Serena became World No. 1 again in 2013, she shattered all previous records as she stayed at the top for 186 weeks. The way Swiatek is progressing, it’s not too difficult to imagine her going close to matching Serena’s record.

Do you think Swiatek can overtake Williams’ all-time record in her first stint as the World No. 1? Let us know in the comments below.

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