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Iga Swiatek reveals she “carried a burden” of keeping the world No 1 ranking throughout the year and admitted to feeling kind of “free” after Aryna Sabalenka finally managed to overtake her at the top spot. Earlier in the year, Sabalenka missed out on a couple of really good chances to replace Swiatek at the top spot.
But after Swiatek lost in the US Open round-of-16 and failed to defend her points, Sabalenka learned she was guaranteed to replace the Pole at the top spot after the US Open. On September 11th, Swiatek lost the world No 1 ranking after spending 75 consecutive weeks there.
“Halfway through the year, I was carrying the burden of – I don’t like this term and I try to avoid it – maintaining the ranking. Aryna Sabalenka had many chances to jump over me, but she finally did. Then I felt free. It was a bit easier for me to concentrate solely on my game again,” Swiatek told SportoweFakty.
Swiatek on resetting after everything that happened
Following a very disappointing US Open, Swiatek’s confidence was left shaken. When Swiatek returned to action in Tokyo, she still wasn’t looking her best and surprisingly lost to Veronika Kudermetova…
