As is the consensus amongst gamers “to dwell” because the world No 1 is loads tougher than to get there, which Swiatek did moderately shortly and unexpectedly after the sudden retirement of Ash Barty. Girls’s tennis has had a number of contemporary faces as latest Grand Slam champions, however the No 1 spot has gone just about unchallenged during the last couple of years. Since sitting on the throne for the primary time in June 2019, the Aussie held fort for 114 consecutive weeks till stepping other than the game because the world No 1 final month.

If the newly-crowned Pole can match even to some extent that dominance on the prime, she would have finished remarkably nicely. For, there are a bunch of challengers hovering, probably making the rankings recreation extensive open because the season progresses. Swiatek is at present on 6,711 factors whereas the others within the prime 5—Barbora Krejcikova, Paula Badosa, Aryna Sabalenka and Maria Sakkari –are all between 4,700 and 5,000 factors. All it might take is for considered one of them to get on a little bit of a run, and for Swiatek to stumble, to shake up the order.

Swiatek has first-hand expertise of that. The 20-year-old surged from world No 8 in mid-February to No 2 in March after profitable back-to-back titles in Qatar and Indian Wells. That is when Barty made approach for Swiatek, who capped her ascension with the Miami crown. Make no mistake, Swiatek, with an influence recreation that's wanting more and more deadly, is the participant to beat for the time being. Much more so heading into the clay swing, the place she first introduced herself within the large league with the 2020 Roland Garros title, however has not been in a position so as to add to the depend.

Consistency is the secret in girls’s tennis, and the teenager from Warsaw is conscious of that. “Many ladies are struggling for consistency and that’s why we now have had so many new Grand Slam winners,” stated Swiatek in an earlier interview with ITF.

Among the many prime 5 within the rankings chart respiratory down her neck, Czech Republic’s Krejcikova (ranked 2nd, 4,975 factors) and Spain’s Badosa (third, 4,885 factors) have made important jumps within the final couple of weeks, transferring up two and three spots respectively.

Krejcikova, seen largely as a doubles participant earlier than final 12 months, was a shock 2021 French Open singles champion. The Czech has made two WTA singles finals since then, and enters her favorite leg of the season on the purple grime. Nonetheless, she could have factors to defend in Paris because the Roland Garros winner, and an encore will take some doing.

Badosa was ranked 62nd on this planet round this time final 12 months. The 24-year-old has captured three WTA titles, in Serbia (Could 2021), Indian Wells (October 2021) and Sydney (January 2022) within the final 12 months, displaying the form of type that she could be keen to hold deeper into the season.

After which there’s Sabalenka (ranked 4th, 4,711 factors) and Sakkari (fifth, 4,705), two power-packed gamers who knocked on the doorways of Grand Slam glory final 12 months however fall brief, shedding within the semi-finals twice every. Greek Sakkari beat Swiatek within the 2021 Roland Garros quarter-final earlier than shedding to Krejcikova, whereas Belarus' Sabalenka went all the way down to Karolina Pliskova on the identical stage at Wimbledon. Sakkari has been the extra in-form participant of late, reaching two finals and one semi-final in her final 4 tournaments. Two of these defeats—within the Indian Wells title conflict and within the Qatar Open final 4—got here towards Swiatek.

By the way, besides towards Krejcikova (2-0), Swiatek would not have a constructive win-loss report towards the others. She is 1-1 with Badosa and Sabalenka and 2-3 towards Sakkari.

Osaka too in it

One other participant with whom the world No 1 has a 1-1 head-to-head report is Naomi Osaka. The Japanese stormed into the ultimate in Miami and misplaced to Swiatek, however not earlier than displaying sufficient indicators of her reignited mojo. With Barty’s exit leaving a void, girls’s tennis couldn't have had a greater sight than Osaka combating on the court docket with a smile (an occasional tear however).

Osaka, who was ranked No 1 in 2019 earlier than Barty took over, is at present thirty fifth. Nonetheless, the truth that she didn't play loads—and thus not win loads—after pulling out of final 12 months's Roland Garros to handle psychological well being points would imply Osaka can probably pocket appreciable factors this season and climb the ladder once more swiftly.

That’s her plan, anyway, with the eventual purpose to succeed in the summit once more. “I believe by subsequent 12 months or by the tip of this 12 months, I'd like to be prime 10. By subsequent 12 months, I'd like to be the No 1,” she stated in Miami.

“Oh, that’s a giant assertion. Erase that. Prime 5,” the four-time Grand Slam champion added in the identical breath. “You realize what? I'll set that purpose. Yeah, No 1.”