Let’s rewind to that electric London afternoon. As Wimbledon buzzed to life, two names echoed the loudest: Coco Gauff, America’s shining star fresh off her second Grand Slam win at Roland Garros, and Aryna Sabalenka, the ferocious Belarusian with two Slam finals this year. But fate had other plans. Gauff fell early and Sabalenka in the semis, paving the path for unexpected finalists: Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova.
Swiatek, with a shaky grass past, bulldozed her way to the title. Anisimova, in her maiden Slam final, was overwhelmed by the moment as the Pole dismantled her 6-0, 6-0 in just 57 minutes. Now, Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rick Macci, backs the surging 24-year-old to steal the season’s thunder.
In a bold tweet from his X handle, legendary coach Rick Macci fired off a prediction recently that sent tremors through the tennis world. “It will happen sooner than later as Iga will again be number one on the planet because her mind is made of granite. Not a lot of points to defend and the Polish Punisher will be number one by year’s end.” A statement packed with certainty, and with the numbers lining up, Macci’s prophecy may not be far from the truth.
Aryna Sabalenka currently sits atop the WTA mountain, boasting an iron grip on the No. 1 ranking. Since dethroning Swiatek last October, she’s gone on a warpath, racking up 38 straight weeks as world No. 1. Her reward? Becoming only the second woman after Serena Williams to smash through the 12,000-point barrier, a feat that speaks volumes about her dominance on court.
Serena did it first in June 2013, but Swiatek wasn’t far behind; she crested the 11,000 mark in May 2024. However, it was Sabalenka who pulled ahead after Wimbledon this year, and her total now stands at a staggering 12,420 points, leading the second-ranked Coco Gauff by a towering 4,751 points, with Swiatek another 856 behind. That kind of lead won’t evaporate overnight, meaning Sabalenka is locked in at the top, at least for the next few months.
It will happen sooner than later as Iga will again be number one on the planet because her mind is made of granite. Not a lot of points to defend and the Polish Punisher will be number one by years end.
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci) July 20, 2025
But the pressure’s coming, and it’s coming hard. Sabalenka’s late-2024 run was nothing short of legendary, titles in Cincinnati, Wuhan, and the US Open loaded her with 5,025 points to defend. Sprinkle in deep runs at the Citi DC Open, the China Open, and the WTA Finals, and the Belarusian has a mountain to protect. And while she’ll be sitting atop that mountain for at least a couple of months, things will get tricky following the North American swing.
Coco Gauff, meanwhile, faces a tricky slope of her own. The reigning French Open queen will see 3,060 points shaved off by season’s end. She owned the China Open and the WTA Finals last year, picking up 2,300 points combined, and went deep in Wuhan. But her form outside of that? Shaky. Early exits in New York and the two North American WTA 1000s make her vulnerable heading into the most crucial stretch of the calendar.
Enter Iga Swiatek, the newest Wimbledon champion and the silent stalker in this rankings war. Her position? Surprisingly solid. She’s only set to lose 830 points from last year’s US Open quarterfinal and the WTA Finals. Her Cincy points already vanished after a failed drug test, and she skipped Beijing and Wuhan altogether due to the suspension. When the dust settles, Sabalenka would stand at 7,395, Swiatek at 5,983, and Gauff at 4,609.
That leaves a manageable 1,412-point gap between the Pole and the Belarusian. Sabalenka remains the frontrunner, no doubt, but the race is alive. If she falters, and if Swiatek finds her rhythm on the hard courts, the narrative could flip. The Polish Punisher is primed for the kill, ready to take her shot.
As the season tips into its decisive swing, Swiatek isn’t just riding her Wimbledon high, she’s planning her assault. With her North American hard-court strategy now revealed by insiders, the Pole has her eyes set on redemption. This isn’t over. It’s just heating up.
Insider reveals Iga Swiatek’s Path towards reaching the US Open
In a recent chat with TOK FM, Iga Swiatek’s trusted fitness coach, Maciej Ryszczuk, laid bare the battle plan. “On Sunday and Monday we return to training. And during the week we fly to Montreal to get used to the time change and train on the courts there. Then the standard Cincinnati and US Open,” he said. The message was clear: the Pole isn’t cooling off after Wimbledon: she’s going full throttle into hard-court warfare.
Montreal and Cincinnati, two brutal WTA 1000 arenas, are her proving grounds before the storm hits New York. With the lights of Flushing Meadows looming large, these tournaments aren’t just pit stops; they’re power plays. And here’s the kicker: Swiatek starts from scratch. Her 2024 points in both cities were scratched due to mandatory appearance shortfalls, leaving a clean slate and 2000 ranking points dangling like ripe fruit.
But time’s not a luxury. The Montreal showdown ignites on July 28, and Cincinnati follows close behind. Swiatek, of course, will be seeded high and get a bye into round two, but there’s no grace period. Every match will feel like a final. Every point will be magnified. The cushion is gone, the pressure sky-high.
Still, the Pole arrives with confidence sharpened by a grass-court masterclass. That double-bagel Wimbledon decimation wasn’t just a title, it was a statement. The mental walls are fortified. The hunger is roaring.
So, with fresh legs, a fearless mind, and points up for grabs, can Iga Swiatek rise and rip the No. 1 crown back? What do you think?
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