Iga Swiatek’s change from hunted to hunter is scary for rest of the WTA Tour

Since Iga Swiatek lost her World No. 1 ranking, she has started playing with more freedom which is a worrying sight for her opponents, as per tennis commentator Blair Henley.

Swiatek started her reign as the top-ranked WTA player on April 4, 2022. But on September 10 this year, she was dethroned by Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus, who now sits on the top spot with 9,381 points. Swiatek stayed at the top for 75 weeks straight.

The Pole won her fourth Grand Slam trophy in June this year with a victory over Karolina Muchova in the French Open final to solidify her position as the World No. 1. Sabalenka, however, caught up with Swiatek as she went through a rough patch after her successful Roland Garros campaign.

READ MORE:How Iga Swiatek, Tennis’s Most Supersonic Star, Stays Grounded

Though Swiatek continued to make deep runs at the subsequent tournaments, she only bagged one title, the Poland Open, until the end of September. She faced her worst result since the 2023 Australian Open at the US Open, where she failed to enter the quarterfinals.

The 22-year-old eventually returned among the titles with a maiden China Open title. She dominated the draw in Beijing as she dropped just one set en route to victory. Writer and announcer Blair Henley reflected on Iga Swiatek’s performance in a recent episode of Courtside: The US Open Podcast.