New York [US], September 4 : Iga Swiatek's 75-week run at World No 1 will end after the US Open. The 22-year-old was bowed out in the fourth round of her title defence to Jelena Ostapenko, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Swiatek admitted the challenge of maintaining the World No 1 ranking had been weighing on her.
"Well, it meant a lot, obviously. It was great," Swiatek was quoted as saying by WTA after the match.
"On the other hand this last part, it was pretty exhausting. I still need to do all this stuff that my team and all these great players like Roger or Novak or Rafa are telling about: you just have to focus on the tournaments, not the rankings," she added.
"Usually I'm not looking at numbers, but overall I love them," Swiatek added.
Aryna Sabalenka, the winner of the Australian Open, will succeed her as the new World No 1 on Monday following the competition. Since the French Open, Swiatek had managed to keep her at bay, but on the Race to the WTA Finals Leaderboard, which only takes points gained this season into account, Sabalenka was ahead of her by 245 points.
Swiatek has successfully met the task of following up one of the best seasons of the century. She had won four times this year, including three successful title defences, and she led the tour in both victories and titles heading into New York. Her 75-week record ranks third among World No. 1 debutants in the WTA, behind only Martina Hingis (80) and Stefanie Graf (186).
"I would love to extend this record a little bit longer. This is something that when I was younger, I actually kind of wanted to break some record or have something. I already did that 'cause I already won a Slam as the first Polish player. Obviously being No.1 as the third player in history is great," Swiatek said.
"But for sure when it happens, when you lose it, there are some sad emotions. As I said at the beginning, all these great players know it's going to come back if you're going to work hard, focus on the right things, just develop as a player," said the Polish player.
More concentrated practice time will be a part of that reset. It's simple to overlook the fact that Swiatek had to deal with two serious injuries this season. The first was the rib injury she suffered in the spring, which compelled her to leave Miami. Then her Roland Garros title defence was jeopardised by a leg injury.
Swiatek has only had two weeks of consistent practice, with the exception of one week of practice on grass. She has been performing nonstop else.
"For sure besides this match, which was pretty weird, I feel like I am progressing as a player. I have more skills. The hardest part is already done for me, but this season was really tough and intense. It's not easy to cope with all of this stuff. I'm just happy that I will have time to reset a little bit," Swiatek said.
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