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Liudmila Samsonova has declared Iga Swiatek “the real No 1” of women’s tennis despite the Pole being ranked below Aryna Sabalenka. After spending 75 consecutive weeks at the world No 1 spot, 22-year-old Swiatek was replaced by Sabalenka at the top spot following the conclusion of the US Open.
Sabalenka currently leads the WTA rankings list with 8,425 points, while Swiatek has 7,795 points. In early October, world No 15 Samsonova suffered a 2-6 2-6 loss to Swiatek in the final of a WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing.
“Iga. 100%. I feel like she’s the real No 1. We were speaking together in the Beijing Final, she came to me and was very nice during the ceremony. She was like ‘I know sometimes it’s tough.’ When I started to know her better and got closer to her, I felt something special,” Samsonova said.
Samsonova thinks Swiatek is the ‘real No 1’ in women’s tennis
After a rough period, Swiatek got back on the right track in Beijing. Following her Beijing win, Swiatek admitted that the title meant a lot to her because she wasn’t really high in confidence at the start of the tournament.
Also, Swiatek said she would be prepared for another stint at the world No 1 spot if it happened again. “This victory will be useful to me for the rest of my career, this tournament teaches that there are always possibilities to overcome one’s limits.
Sometimes it’s quite simple, but we all tend to complicate things. I had to deal with a lot of things and make my tennis grow quickly, overcoming the pressure is sometimes difficult but it is part of this sport and we have to learn to adapt and focus only on our tennis.
If I were number one again, I’m sure I would be better prepared to face everything, this victory makes things easier for me,” Swiatek said after her Beijing win.
