'Proud' Swiatek reveals which stat about herself she finds 'pretty cool'

Iga Swiatek has revealed which stat around her she finds “pretty cool” as she starts her bid for a third straight Stuttgart Open title.

Swiatek has been the best player on the WTA Tour for the last two years and next week will start her 100th week as world No. 1.

She has just moved ahead of Lindsay Davenport into ninth spot for most weeks spent as No. 1, and next has Justine Henin (117 weeks) and Ashleigh Barty (121 weeks) in her sights.

Asked ahead of her Stuttgart opener whether there are any stats around herself that make her sit up and take notice, Swiatek said: “Honestly, yeah, this is one of these stats actually.

“I think overall, that I’m in the top 10 of all time in terms of weeks at No. 1, I wouldn’t expect that ever a couple of years back.”

Swiatek became world No. 1 when Barty unexpectedly retired in March 2022.

She has remained No. 1 for almost the entire time since, except for an eight-week spell when she was displaced by Aryna Sabalenka last autumn.

“I’m proud of my progress and everything in terms of how I’ve handled all the different challenges during my career,” added Swiatek.

“Belonging to the top 10 of players in terms of weeks at No. 1 is pretty cool.

“I’ve learnt to deal with expectations, especially with outside pressure. I concentrate on setting my own goals and not to let myself be influenced by outside expectations.”

Swiatek has beaten Sabalenka in the final of the Stuttgart Open for the last two years in a row.

She comes into the tournament this year having played at the weekend on indoor hard courts for Poland in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers.

“I felt today that I can do the transition pretty quickly,” she said about switching to clay.

“I’m not expecting that I’m going to feel comfortable from my first match because you always need some matches to just gain confidence on any surface, even if you feel comfortable on it.

“Stuttgart is an ideal start to the clay court season. The pace of the surface here is between hard courts and normal clay which helps me to transition. Though I had my first practice on clay today, I feel ready especially as I have good memories in my mind of how I played here last year.”

Swiatek will face Elise Mertens in her opening match on Thursday.