‘She Has All the Right’- Iga Swiatek Says Ash Barty’s Retirement Hit Her Hard Emotionally

Iga Swiatek, the polish tennis professional, has a chance to become World No.1 following Ashleigh Barty’s sudden retirement from the game. Currently, Swiatek is 2,204 points behind Barty and 691 points ahead of World No.3, Maria Sakkari.

With Barty choosing to remove herself from the rankings, Swiatek is all set to become the new World No.1, provided she fares well at the Miami Masters. In a pre-tournament press conference, the 2020 French Open champion shared her thoughts on Barty’s retirement and how has it affected her.

Though Swiatek is excited about the prospect of becoming World No.1, she expressed that she wasn’t expecting to reach the top of the rankings that way.

“To be honest, at first it was really emotional for me. I didn’t know about all the rules. I actually didn’t even know you could choose being removed because I didn’t follow any other athletes that were retiring. Still, I mean, I don’t want to really talk about it because it’s Ash’s decision. I think she has all right to do, like, both things.” She said.

“Actually, after Indian Wells, it became my goal. It’s pretty weird for it to be my goal for two days. But still, it’s a longshot because it’s her decision. I think we got to wait for her to speak about that.” She admitted. In the Californian desert, Swiatek defeated stars like Simona Halep, Madison Keys, and Angelique Kerber to reach the finals and claimed the Indian wells’ title by defeating Sakkari in the finals. Therefore, it won’t be wrong to say that she could reach the ranking of World No.1 regardless of Barty backing off.

DIVE DEEPER: How Can Iga Swiatek and Paula Badosa Become World No 1. Following Ashleigh Barty’s Sudden Retirement?

Iga Swiatek shared her emotions

Even though Iga Swiatek will benefit from Barty’s decision, the 20-year-old sounded sad and was shocked to know about Barty’s retirement. She admitted that when she heard the news, the first thing she felt was sadness.

“Yesterday when I heard the news, mostly I was really emotional, not because of my position, but more because of her retiring at such a young age. It was, yeah, pretty hard for me to digest as well.” 

“I was crying for a long time. There was a lot of confusion in me, for sure. But also, like, sadness because I always, I mean, when I think of the player that is really complete in terms of physicality, mentality, tennis-wise, I always thought of Ash and I always looked up to her. I still do.” She said. Moreover, it disappointed Iga that she can never face such a strong contender ever again. “Yeah, I mean, we’re going to miss her, for sure.” She admitted.

Tennis is a game that runs on the mental strength of the player.  Having rivals of such high potential as Barty fuels the players to do better. Iga is just 20 and hopefully has many years to play, so she definitely will have rivals of varied potential. Although, it would be hard to find someone of Barty’s caliber. 

Iga’s take on Barty’s decision

Amidst the mixed reactions to Barty’s decision to retire just at the age of 25, Iga Swiatek also gave her opinion. Iga seemed to find her decision powerful, as many players try to keep their feelings aside and work on others’ expectations. She backed her move by saying, “I really respect and I really think she’s brave. I think that’s an example not only for us tennis players or another athlete, but every person that they should put their own happiness.”

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Swiatek is currently having a sensational season so far in 2022. She won two back-to-back Masters 1000 titles in Doha and Indian Wells. She should be hoping to continue her great run of form at the Miami Masters as well. In her tournament opener in Miami. Swiatek will lock horns against Viktorija Golubic.

Even though there is a lot going around Iga’s ranking, all she requires to do for now is to focus on the ongoing tournament. She needs to handle what’s in her hands and wait for the clouds to clear.