'I won’t always be first': Iga Swiatek gets real about rankings drop before Wimbledon

Iga Swiatek discussed her new position in the rankings – after three years of alternating between the top two spots, most of them at the very summit. The Polish star is currently World No. 8, following a year in which she hasn't reached a final since winning the Roland Garros 2024 title.

From an early age, Swiatek showed she was destined for great things. She won her first major title at the 2020 French Open, at just 19 years old and without having reached the Top 50 until then. Since then, she has secured 5 major titles – four of them at Roland Garros – held the No. 1 ranking for 125 weeks, and boasts 22 career titles, including 10 WTA 1000 events.

However, she has repeatedly fallen short in the final stages of tournaments over the past year, suffering seven consecutive semifinal losses, and several others in the quarterfinals. She is currently the only player in the Top 25 who hasn't reached even one final in the last 52 weeks.

Swiatek's unwavering focus: "I don't think about it every day"

In a recent interview with Sport.pl, Iga Swiatek stated that her fall in the rankings doesn't change her perspective and that her goals remain the same as when she was No. 1: to fight for the biggest titles and continue improving her game. "It's not that I think about it every day. My perspective doesn't change in this context," she said.

"Even when I was the leader, I always said that I don't look at rankings. And that is still the case. However, when I returned in February after the Australian Open, I actually had a moment when I felt a lot of bitterness about how I lost that ranking. But then I focused on work."

"It seems to me that many people got used to me being higher in the ranking, and I did for a moment too. But sport works a bit differently. Anyone who keeps a healthy mind knows that not everything in sport is constant. Other girls are also developing, there is constant competition.”

“I won't always be first,” she claimed. “Nevertheless, on a daily basis, when I work, train, play matches, I totally don't think about it. I know what tools I have and what I can show on the court. The fact of what number I play with doesn't change that."

The Pole is preparing to hit the courts in the grass-swing starting next week, being the only Top 10 player yet to debut on the surface. She will play the WTA 250 Bad Homburg Open, which will be her only preparatory tournament for Wimbledon.