Aryna Sabalenka has reclaimed the PIF WTA World No.1 Singles Rating, overtaking Iga Swiatek within the high spot after each had been penalised for not enjoying sufficient WTA 500 occasions throughout the season.
There are individuals saying that, ‘Oh, I haven’t got to play so many tournaments’, however the reality is that we now have so many necessary tournaments that we actually want to indicate up and we do not have time to work on stuff or dwell peacefully, as a result of from one match we’re going straight to a different. We do not even have time till the tip of the 12 months, as a result of, actually, the primary match begins on twenty ninth of December. So yeah, the season is, for positive, too lengthy. Iga Świątek
This shall be Sabalenka’s 2nd stint on the high, including to her 8-week complete after she first captured the No 1 rating in September 2023.
The 26-year-old Belarusian has been on a outstanding run over the previous 2 months on the Hologic WTA Tour, compiling a 20-1 report since mid-August.
Throughout this stretch, she gained WTA 1000 titles on the Cincinnati Open and the Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open, secured her third Grand Slam on the US Open, and reached the semi-finals on the WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing.
The highest two gamers within the rankings weren’t in motion final week, and so they additionally didn’t have any factors to defend from the 2023 season, however there have been adjustments to the highest of the rankings.
Swiatek began final week on 9,785 factors, whereas Sabalenka was on 9,716, however each had been punished for not committing to sufficient WTA 500 tournaments throughout the season.
In accordance with WTA guidelines, gamers should play at the least 6 WTA 500 occasions per 12 months earlier than they begin shedding factors.
Swiatek has featured in solely the United Cup and Stuttgart Open, whereas Sabalenka performed within the WTA 500 occasions in Brisbane, Stuttgart, Berlin and Washington DC.
With neither enjoying once more till the WTA Finals, each are being sanctioned, and their factors for the season’s lowest-earning occasions dropped off.
Swiatek’s ‘worst’ efficiency this 12 months got here on the Miami Open, the place she earned 120 factors after shedding within the 4th spherical, whereas Sabalenka misplaced within the 2nd spherical in Dubai, and loses 10 factors from that occasion.
After the factors drop, Swiatek finds herself on 9,665 factors, with Sabalenka on 9,706, ensuing within the change on the high of the WTA Rankings, with the Belarusian again at No 1 for the primary time since November final 12 months as she begins her ninth week on the high.
Swiatek’s second stint at No 1 lasted 50 consecutive weeks, taking her general tally to 125, which places her seventh on the all-time checklist for many weeks at No 1 within the WTA Rankings.
Sadly, each girls will once more be sanctioned once more this week for not enjoying sufficient WTA 500 occasions, and Sabalenka will drop 65 factors from Miami as she misplaced within the third spherical there, and can transfer to 9,641 factors, whereas Swiatek’s will slip to 9,471 factors as 130 factors from both the Australian Open or Wimbledon will come off.
Iga Swiatek grabbed the year-end World No 1 spot from Aryna Sabalenka on the WTA Finals in 2023
© Tom Pennington/Getty Photos
The penalties are dangerous information for Swiatek’s hopes of ending the 12 months at No 1, as she is going to drop 1,500 factors on the WTA Finals after successful the 2023 match undefeated, whereas Sabalenka will lose solely 625 factors.
All this places WTA Tour ‘necessary’ occasions beneath the highlight once more as, at present, the highest gamers are required doubtlessly to play 21 occasions over a season.
This consists of the 4 Grand Slams on the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open, plus 10 WTA 1000-level occasions, which suggests they’re anticipated to play back-to-back one-week occasions in Doha and Dubai in February, earlier than heading to the US for two-week-long occasions in Indian Wells and Miami.
These are adopted by two-week-long occasions in Madrid and Rome throughout the clay court docket swing, after which the exhausting court docket summer season occasions in Canada and Cincinnati, which can develop into two-week occasions from 2025.
The ultimate 2 WTA 1000 occasions are held in direction of the tip of the season, in Beijing and Wuhan.
Exterior of those 14 high-level tournaments, high gamers are then anticipated to play in an additional 6 WTA 500-level tournaments.
There are many choices for gamers when selecting and selecting what WTA 500 occasions they may play, together with the United Cup, which counts as 1 of a participant’s 6 occasions.
After these 20 tournaments, gamers are then anticipated to play within the WTA Finals ought to they qualify.
Exemptions for skipping necessary occasions, specifically the WTA 1000s, are uncommon, and are solely normally justified by harm or sickness points.
A participant may also cite a private matter, resembling Swiatek did along with her withdrawals from Beijing and Wuhan.
The Pole performed all 4 Grand Slams and seven of the ten WTA 1000-level tournaments on tour, along with her withdrawals from Canada, Beijing, and Wuhan all allowed, however she has solely performed in 2 WTA 500-level occasions in 2024, and, consequently, she has been docked factors by the WTA for failing to satisfy their guidelines.
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are growing an awesome rivalry that culminates in a battle for the highest spot on the planet
© Matthew Stockman/Getty Photos
Few have been as vocal in regards to the demanding tennis schedule as Swiatek, and it’s exhausting to not really feel that the 23-year-old Pole is being confirmed considerably justified by Monday’s rating adjustments.
“There are individuals saying that, ‘Oh, I don’t must play so many tournaments’, however the reality is that we now have so many necessary tournaments that we actually want to indicate up and we don’t have time to work on stuff or dwell peacefully, as a result of from one match we’re going straight to a different,” Swiatek stated in September. “We don’t even have time till the tip of the 12 months, as a result of, actually, the primary match begins on twenty ninth of December.
“So yeah, the season is, for positive, too lengthy.”
After bowing out of the US Open within the quarter-finals, Swiatek stated: “I don’t need to take a break. It’s powerful. It may very well be a bit of bit simpler, however I’m maintaining with the schedule. I’m solely speaking about necessary tournaments and there are guidelines about necessary tournaments.
“However I’m prepared for taking part in until November, I assume, except I’m going to get injured.”
Swiatek has performed 15 occasions this 12 months, together with the Olympic Video games in Paris and Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, and has often gone deep in these occasions.
Through the clay court docket season, she gained each the elongated Madrid and Rome tournaments, after which gained Roland Garros, a run of 20 straight match wins.
Beforehand, she had already gained 2 of the primary 4 WTA 1000 occasions of 2024, in Doha and Indian Wells, reached the Final 4 in Dubai, guided Poland to the United Cup ultimate, and reached the semi-finals in Stuttgart.
Swiatek’s season has given her barely any respiration room, and but she has nonetheless fallen in need of the WTA’s necessities, and her hard-earned rating has suffered consequently.
Monday’s rating change undoubtedly will result in additional debate and extra controversy over each the WTA’s scheduling and rating guidelines.
Final 12 months’s rating got here all the way down to the wire, with Iga Swiatek beating Aryna Sabalenka within the championship match of the GNP Seguros WTA Finals Cancun
© Matthew Stockman/Getty Photos
