Cracking the Code of Women’s Tennis: Unveiling the WTA Rankings and the World No.1 Player
An analysis of Iga Swiatek’s remarkable rise to World No. 1, replacing Ash Barty, and an in-depth look at the WTA rankings system.
Iga Swiatek, 2023 | © AI / Reuters / Panoramic
Pursuing the coveted No.1 position is a dream that every female tennis player aspires to achieve, inspired by legends like Serena Williams. With her extraordinary accomplishments, including being ranked world No.1 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for an impressive 319 weeks and finishing as the year-end No.1 five times, she has set the gold standard in the sport.
In 2022, the WTA summit witnessed only two women basking in the glory of the No.1 position. As we move into 2023, the landscape of women’s tennis appears to be on the cusp of being dominated by a single name.
Iga Swiatek, a 20-year-old Polish player who rose rapidly up the rankings, has significantly impacted the WTA Tour. Swiatek started playing tennis at a young age and won the Wimbledon Juniors title before turning professional the following year. However, it wasn’t until 2020 that she made her senior breakthrough, winning her first Grand Slam title at the French Open and becoming the first Polish player to do so.
Since then, Swiatek has continued to dominate, winning multiple titles in 2021 and 2022. Her favourite player is Rafael Nadal, and she emulates his trademark lasso forehand and play like him. Before Swiatek, the top-ranked player was Ash Barty, who retired in March 2022 after holding the No. 1 spot for over two years.
Understanding WTA Rankings
Thе WTА rankings are а system usеd by thе Women’s Tennis Association to rank the top female tennis players in the world. The rankings are calculated based on а player’s results in the previous 52 weeks, with points dropping off after the year mark. Players are awarded a set number of points based on the round of the tournament they reach. The player with the most points at the end of the 52-week period is ranked No. 1.
The WTA rankings are an important part of the women’s tennis tour. They help to determine who qualifies for the biggest tournaments, while providing a barometer for success for each player.
Swiatek’s breakthrough in 2020
Iga Swiatek was born in Warsaw, Poland, in 2001. She started playing tennis at age four and, quickly rose through the ranks of the junior tennis circuit. Swiatek made her WTA Tour debut in 2017, but she struggled to make an impact on the tour in her first few years. She reached he first WTA Tour final in 2019 in Lugano, making her debut in the top 100 as a 17-year-old.
Swiatek’s breakthrough came in 2020, when she won the French Open as a teenager – all without dropping a set. She became the first Polish рlayer to win а Grand Slam singles title and the youngest рlayer to win the French Open since Rafael Nаdаl in 2005.
In 2021, Swiatek backed up her stunning breakthrough with a second WTA title in Adelaide, before winning her first WTA 1000-level event at the Italian Open.
Swiatek continued her dominance in 2022, winning six consecutive titles and compiling a breathtaking 37 match winning streak.
Swiatek’s gameplay has led many people to bet on her matches. If you’re one of them, use the Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code. She is still young and she has the potential to be one of the greatest players of all time.
Who was the No. 1 player before Swiatek?
Ash Barty was the No. 1 player before Iga Swiatek. Barty retired from professional tennis on March 23, 2022, at 25. She had been ranked No. 1 for over two years and was the first Australian woman to hold the top spot since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1976.
Barty won three Grand Slam singles titles: the 2019 French Open, Wimbledon in 2021 and the 2022 Australian Open. She won a total of 15 WTA Tour singles titles.
Barty’s retirement came as a great surprise to the tennis world. At the age of just 25, she was the defending Wimbledon champion and had just clinched her home Grand Slam in Melbourne at the start of the year. Yet, just under two months later, Ash Barty announced her retirement and her desire to pursue things outside of tennis.
The Top 10 players in the WTA rankings (as of 8th May 2023)
- Iga Swiatek – 13 singles titles
- Aryna Sabalenka – 13 singles titles
- Jessica Pegula – 2 singles titles
- Caroline Garcia – 11 singles titles
- Coco Gauff – 3 singles titles
- Elena Rybakina – 4 singles titles
- Ons Jabeur – 4 singles titles
- Maria Sakkari – 1 singles title
- Daria Kasatkina – 6 singles titles
- Petra Kvitova – 30 singles titles
Summary
Iga Swiatek is the current WTA World No. 1. Already a 13-time WTA titlist – including three Grand Slam triumphs – Swiatek has established herself as the best WTA player in the world at the age of just 20. The Pole’s unique forehand generates huge amounts of topspin, lending itself well to the clay courts that Swiatek thrives on.
Swiatek’s success has come following a transitional period for women’s tennis, following Serena Williams’ and Ash Barty’s retirements, but the future of the WTA appears in good hands with the likes of Rybakina, Swiatek and Sabalenka all hitting their stride at the same time.
