“Have people in my team reminding me of what I achieved because I’m so focused” – Iga Swiatek on becoming 10th woman to enter 90th week as World No. 1

Iga Swiatek became only the tenth woman in the history of tennis to enter a 90th week as the World No. 1.

Swiatek first reached the top spot in the WTA singles rankings on April 4, 2022. She held the position for a staggering 75 weeks straight until Aryna Sabalenka took over on September 11, 2023.

Sabalenka's rise, however, was brief as the Pole regained control of the first place eight weeks later on November 6, 2023. Since then, she remains the top-ranked player on the women's circuit.

The ranking update on Monday, February 12, marked the 90th week of her reign as the World No. 1. She celebrated the achievement with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Sorana Cirstea in her opener at the Qatar Open 2024.

After the match, 22-year-old Iga Swiatek was asked to reflect on the milestone. In her reply, she revealed that she always needs help from a team member to stay updated on her records.

"Well, honestly I forget about it. No actually, I have people in my team reminding me of what I achieved because I’m so focused on what’s next. I sometimes forget but it’s pretty like, I don’t know, hard to understand because I wasn’t really thinking when I was younger that it’s going to be possible for me," Iga Swiatek said.

She further vowed to continue with the same zeal, saying:

"So, I’m really happy, and you know I’m going to work hard to play well and enjoy this for a long time hopefully."

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Nine women who held the World No. 1 position for 90 weeks or more before Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek holds the Chris Evert Year-end World No. 1 trophy.

Before Iga Swiatek, nine women held the World No. 1 position for 90 weeks or more in women's singles since the onset of the WTA rankings on November 3, 1975.

Chris Evert became the first woman to be ranked No. 1 on the day of inception and held the position for 260 different weeks during her career. She occupies the fourth spot in the all-time leaderboard, led by Steffi Graf.

Steffi Graf's reign as the WTA No. 1 first began on August 17, 1987, and by the time she retired in 1999, she had registered a staggering 377 weeks of staying atop the charts.

The other seven women who have recorded 90 weeks or more as the World No. 1 include Martina Navratilova (332), Serena Williams (319), Martina Hingis (209), Monica Seles (178), Ashleigh Barty (121), Justine Henin (117), and Lindsay Davenport (98).