Iga Swiatek is just not the odds-on favourite to complete the season with the WTA’s No.1 rating, however the six-time main champion has a shot to surpass Aryna Sabalenka if she will be able to proceed on her excessive trajectory down the stretch.
Swiatek, now 1577 factors behind Sabalenka within the Race to Riyadh standings, may choose up vital factors this week in Beijing, the place Aryna Sabalenka is sitting out. The Pole can solely achieve factors over the subsequent few weeks, as she was sitting out her one month ban final 12 months and didn’t play between the US Open and the WTA Finals.
Sabalenka, in the meantime, will lose 215 factors from Beijing and is defending one other 1000 in Wuhan. Sabalenka and Swiatek earned 400 factors every ultimately 12 months’s WTA Finals.
Swiatek, driving excessive after kicking off her Asian swing with the title in Seoul, says she’s not likely involved concerning the rating, however admits she is conscious of her present standing in relation to Sabalenka.
“I would say it’s always something to be there in the back, but it’s not like it’s a main focus,” she mentioned.
Swiatek believes one of the simplest ways ahead is to deal with profitable matches reasonably than an enormous image rating situation.
“I already know that thinking about the rankings, it’s not a way to go, no matter if you’re No. 2 or no matter if you’re No. 1,” she mentioned. “It’s just numbers. But it doesn’t change the fact that you need to kind of feel the tennis and focus on the improvement on the court, then the results are going to come after that.”
2024 was troublesome for Swiatek as a result of she was compelled to overlook the month resulting from her doping ban, which made it not possible to earn a 3rd consecutive year-end No.1 rating. In complete, she has held the No.1 rating for 125 weeks, seventh most all-time.
Sabalenka’s 57 weeks – and counting – is thirteenth most all-time.
“For sure it’s a different situation than last year when I wasn’t really able to defend my No. 1, like earn it. So for sure I’m just happy that I’m here and I can compete and fight for it. But… my main focus is more tennis-related, how I want to play, how I feel on court.”
