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Swiatek clinched the ranking after defeating Viktorija Golubic
6-2 6-0 in the second round of the Miami Open on Friday,
becoming the first Polish player to ascend to the No.1 position
in singles.
She will become the new world No. 1 when the WTA rankings are
released on April 4. At 20 years, 308 days old, Swiatek will be
the youngest player to make her No.1 debut since Caroline
Wozniacki in 2010.
"It's a dream come true, for sure," Swiatek told reporters.
"It's that kind of thing that I wanted to happen someday, but I
didn't really know that it's going to be possible for me.
"I never really imagined that moment, because truth to be told,
I was working day by day and I was playing tennis well, but I
never had that like that strong belief that it can actually
happen. So it's even more surreal for me."
Swiatek, who won her maiden Grand Slam title at the French Open
in 2020, said she is ready to deal with the pressure of being
the top-ranked player.
"I think it's going to be a bit different and maybe the hype is
going to be a bit bigger, but I'm ready for that," she said.
"Honestly, it's like part of the job, so I always knew if I'm
gonna succeed, it's going to be there. I really appreciate
people being really enthusiastic and really pumped up because I
think sometimes I'm even playing for them.
"But from my perspective, I don't think anything will change.
Maybe I got to watch if I'm wearing clean clothes and really if
I'm representing tennis well," she said with a smile.
Swiatek, who has already won titles in Doha and Indian Wells
this year, takes over following Barty's surprising announcement
to walk away from the game after winning three Grand Slam titles
including January's Australian Open.
Barty wasted no time in congratulating Swiatek, who will become
the 28th woman to capture the women's No.1 ranking.
"There is no better person," Barty said in a message after the
match. "The way that she's brought this fresh, fearless energy
onto the court has been incredible.
"I hope she can take it and still be her, do it her own way, and
really chase what she's after in her career and her dreams."
Swiatek said she was grateful for Barty's words.
"She's such a great athlete," Swiatek said. "I always respect
Ashleigh and she gave me huge motivation to work on my tennis."
(This story corrects date in paragraph 3 to April 4)
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles and Manasi Pathak in
Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler and Lincoln Feast.)
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