Iga Swiatek would like to stick to the illustration of the Massive A few just after dropping her No. 1 position.
Swiatek suffered still a different setback to Jelena Ostapenko following a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 defeat in their round of 16 clash at the US Open up on Sunday night. She is now -4 against the Latvian who has turned out to grow to be her kryptonite.
As a outcome, Swiatek will not only be unable to protect her US Open up crown — she also misplaced her position at the summit of the WTA rankings to rival Aryna Sabalenka. Specified that Swiatek necessary to acquire the Grand Slam to defend her 2,000 details, all Sabalenka — who faces Daria Kasatkina in the round of 16 on Monday — experienced to do was match her consequence.
When Swiatek savored her 75-7 days reign as No. 1, she also admits it was particularly exhausting retaining the position. That is why she now hopes to emulate the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer by concentrating on the tournament somewhat than the ranking.
“It was fantastic [to be No 1], but on the other hand the previous section was rather exhausting,” Iga Swiatek stated article-match (by way of Tennis 365). “I however need to have to do what all these wonderful players like Roger or Novak or Rafa are conversing about, you just have to aim on the tournaments not the rankings. Ordinarily I’m not looking at figures, but overall I like them. I would like to, like, lengthen this document a small bit longer. This is something that when I was younger, I basically variety of required to crack some file or have a little something.
“I now did that ’cause I by now won a Slam as a very first Polish player. Naturally becoming No 1 is terrific, but for confident when it takes place, when you shed it, there are some unhappy thoughts. All these wonderful gamers know it is going to come back if you’re heading to function hard, focus on the appropriate matters, just build as a participant. Moreover this match, which was rather bizarre, I feel I am progressing as a player.”
The likes of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer undoubtedly know what it really is like to manage as well as eliminate their No. 1 rating. Soon after all, Djokovic — the present-day leader for most months at No. 1 with 387 — only just regained his No. 1 position from Carlos Alcaraz.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, grew to become No. 1 for the initially time in her career and is just the 29th participant to develop into the prime-rated player on the WTA Tour.