Naomi Osaka names the player on the WTA Tour who she thinks is simply ‘incredible’

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Iga Swiatek has dominated at the top of the WTA rankings which has impressed Naomi Osaka.

Since former World Number One Ash Barty announced her shock retirement in 2022, the Polish player has been at the summit of women’s tennis for all but eight weeks since April 4th of that year.

In that time she has claimed 20 titles, including four Grand Slams and nine at WTA 1000 level.

After claiming the Madrid Open crown on Sunday, the 22-year-old is showing no signs of letting go of her Number One crown anytime soon.

This has left Osaka, a former Number One player in her own right, in awe of how long Swiatek has been able to remain at the top of the rankings.

Naomi Osaka paid tribute to Iga Swaitek’s achievements

Osaka began her Italian Open campaign with a 7-6(2), 6-1 win over Clara Burel. Her victory set up a match with Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.

After the first-round contest, the 26-year-old shared a glowing assessment of Swiatek’s consistency.

She also mentioned the reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who is the only player to become the Word Number One since the three-time Roland Garros winner.

“I think she’s incredible,” Osaka began. “The way she’s able to maintain being No. 1 and constantly do well at all the tournaments is something that I honestly can’t think of or can’t fathom back when I was No. 1 for like five seconds.

“I think she’s great for the sport. I also think watching Aryna Sabalenka doing so well is super, super fun. I hope that I’m able to play them both one day.”

When was Naomi Osaka the WTA World Number One?

Osaka is one of 29 women who have been the WTA World Number One since the ranking system began in 1975.

The Japanese star is the 26th player on that list, and she has occupied the top spot on two separate occasions.

She became the World Number One for the first time in January 2019, shortly after winning her maiden Australian Open title.

Osaka was Number One for 21 weeks before Barty regained the spot in June 2019. The four-time major winner then took back the top ranking place for four weeks just two months later.

The player has been the Number One for a total of 25 weeks during her career, while Swiatek has been the top-ranked WTA player for a total of 102 weeks and counting.