It has been quite a year for women’s tennis.
Sporting legend Serena Williams retired after a record-breaking career for the history books, US Open champion Emma Raducanu publicly struggled through her first full tour season, and Polish Iga Świątek had an incredible year, establishing herself as the one to watch – and to beat.
21-year-old Świątek has dominated almost every tournament on the WTA Tour circuit over the past year, winning both Roland-Garros and the US Open with apparent ease. Despite struggling on the grass courts of Wimbledon, she has maintained her Number 1 ranking solidly, thousands of points ahead of number 2, Ons Jabeur.
The WTA Finals at Fort Worth, TX, seemed to be no different. Świątek cruised past the likes of top contenders Coco Gauff, Caroline Garcia and Daria Kasatkina. However, in an upset, Świątek was knocked out in the semi-finals by Belarusian top 10 player, Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. Prior to the tournament, the pair had faced each other four times, with Świątek winning every match.
Świątek’s loss was a reminder that despite her record, no tennis player is invincible. She will no doubt be disappointed that her best year thus far did not end in victory, but overall, she cannot complain about her 2022 experience. With three grand slam titles under her belt at the age of 21, she promises to be one of the greats. She also had the longest win-streak since Steffi Graf, after winning 37 matches in a row, finally losing to Alizé Cornet in the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
Świątek has also spoken out about the publicity and popularity of the WTA as a whole. Notably, during Roland-Garros, when the tournament director Amelie Mauresmo stated that women’s tennis had “less appeal” that men’s, Świątek publicly said that she found the comments disappointing, especially from a fellow female tennis player. Furthermore, in a press conference following one of her matches at the WTA Finals, Świątek expressed regret that the stadium was largely quiet and empty during the matches.
Hopefully, Świątek will continue this discourse and pave the way for more discussions about women’s tennis, which often unfairly garners a reputation for being ‘less exciting’ than the men’s game. If this is what Świątek can achieve in one of her first years as a professional, it is exciting to picture what heights she may reach next.
The 2023 season kicks off in Australia, and hopefully the break will not disrupt the momentum that Świątek has gained.
“Iga Swiatek” by Carine06 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.