With one breathtaking season, Iga Swiatek reshaped the future of women’s tennis. Now that it’s over, it’s time to rest

This spring, when Ashleigh Barty’s sudden retirement threw the sport into disarray, many tennis fans and pundits lamented the loss of a woman who was seen to be the next dominant force in a sport seemingly in perpetual shortage of such an entity. Not since the wave of Serena Williams’ greatness had crested and begun to recede several years ago, had there been a player in possession of such talent – and such moxie.

Little did we know that the next great dominant force was waiting in the wings, like a caterpillar waiting to blossom into a butterfly.

On April 4, when Iga Swiatek replaced departed Barty at the top of the WTA Rankings, we had no idea that she would do nothing but honour her new status with a series of improbable (at first) and unforgettable statements of dominance that left the tennis world enchanted. From April to November we were placed under Swiatek’s spell, along with the rest of her so-called peers, who had difficulty winning games against her – let alone matches.

The Swiatek bagel factory was open – there would be 22 6-0 sets in total – and so were the floodgates. Swiatek, at one point, rambled through 37 consecutive victories, the longest winning streak on tour since 1990, going 135 days and nights without tasting defeat. There was a Roland-Garros title in June – her second major title – which made her the youngest player to win multiple major titles in since Maria Sharapova in 2006, and then, after she temporarily fell to earth, landing clumsily on Wimbledon’s grass in July, there would be another major title in New York City, where Swiatek triumphed the hard way at the US Open, without her “A” game but with the champion’s instincts that are so much a part of who she is.

Three Grand Slam titles and the potential for many more…

This is, after all, a player that brought her streak of consecutive victories in finals to ten at the US Open in 2022 (all of them in straight sets), before finally dropping one in Ostrava in September. A player that slammed through 15 consecutive top-10 wins from January to November, a streak only eclipsed by Steff Graf and Martina Navratilova in the last 40 years.

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To hear Swiatek’s name mentioned with the Grafs and Navratilovas would have sounded strange 12 months ago. After her legendary 2022 campaign, which saw her win 67 matches and lose just nine, we get it. There is much to prove for the young Pole, but in her we see the potential for enduring greatness, and that was the recurring theme of her season – that she inspired in us those feelings of awe and reverence for the craft once again.

“I’m not gonna lie to you, I’ve been waiting for that moment”

But it is a long season and as it finished, Swiatek was clearly in need of a break. She spoke of this need on Sunday night in Fort Worth, disappointed with a loss to Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals, but pleased as punch to finally be spending a few Sunday’s away from the podium and in her element.

“I’m not gonna lie to you, I’ve been waiting for that moment,” Swiatek said, per WTA Insider Courtney Nguyen.

“Because last week, basically it was pretty hard to see the finish line but still be fully motivated and ready for every match. On one hand, I’m sad that I lost, but on the other hand, I have one more day off. That’s something on the bright side. 

“This season has been so intense and I’m so proud of myself that I could play so well till the end of it. I’m happy that it’s done.”

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Though many would like to see her participate in this week’s Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow, it is clear that Swiatek knows what is best for her body and her mind. The grind of the tour can tear down the greatest of the greats, if they don’t exercise the freedom of choice and take the time they need for mental and physical health.

Serena Williams, perhaps the greatest to ever pick up a racquet, knew this as well as anyone and she always protected herself from burnout to the best of her abilities. Though Swiatek is only 21, the fact that she is already concerned about managing her schedule for optimization over the long haul should be great news to all of us.

The more we see her at her peak over the next decade, the better off the sport will be.

The next week will be hers, and she’s earned it.

“I want to spend eight days not thinking about anything and not doing anything,” Swiatek said, before adding that she plans to come back to training slowly.

In the meantime, Swiatek can plow through a few novels, and let her mind drift far away from the cacophony of the Grand Slam stages of the world.

It’s difficult to imagine her being any better in 2023, but Iga Swiatek’s 2022 season has taught us that she’s capable of upside surprises, again and again and again…

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