Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Exposes Bold Iga Świątek Rankings Prediction — “She’ll Never Catch Up,” Report Has It That…

 

Iga Swiatek has been backed to regain her world No 1 ranking in the opening months of 2026 by acclaimed tennis coach Rick Macci.

Currently ranked second in the WTA Rankings, Swiatek has proven to be one of the leading — if not the leading — women’s tennis players of her era, with six Grand Slam singles titles to her name.

The Pole lifted her sixth major title at Wimbledon this year, having previously won four French Open titles and the 2022 US Open title.

Swiatek’s career is also highlighted by the staggering 125 weeks she has spent atop the WTA Rankings, a tally only beaten by six women since the rankings were first introduced in November 1975.

The 24-year-old was first ranked as the world No 1 in April 2022 and then spent 75 weeks atop the rankings, until she was replaced by Aryna Sabalenka in September 2023.

Swiatek then regained the top spot in November 2023 and held the No 1 position for a further 50 weeks until October 2024, when she was again replaced by Sabalenka.

The Belarusian has remained at the very top of the WTA Rankings since then, and in 2025 becomes just the seventh woman to spend a full calendar year as the world No 1.

A not-insignificant 2,475 points separates world No 1 Sabalenka and No 2 Swiatek ahead of 2026, with the two sitting on 10,870 and 8,395 points, respectively.

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However, Swiatek has now received the backing of legendary coach Macci in her quest to regain her position at the summit of the WTA Rankings.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the former coach of the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova claimed that the 24-year-old would be back “at the top” by the end of May — when the French Open starts.

He wrote: “The Polish Punisher [Swiatek] will hit number one on the planet because her mind will be even stronger granite. By the end of May if not faster she will be at the top ripping and for others [it will be] a disaster. Number one is down the street because the Punisher has the mind and the feet.”

Can Swiatek replace Sabalenka by the end of May?

Despite the current difference between the two women, it is possible that Swiatek could be back as the world No 1 this spring, as she looks to regain her title at Roland Garros.

That is in part due to the sheer volume of points that Sabalenka has to defend, as she herself looks to extend her reign at the top.

Prior to the end of May, Sabalenka has 1,000 points to defend at both the Miami Open and Madrid Open — having lifted the titles in 2025 — as well as 500 points for her Brisbane International victory.

Outside of that, she has a further 1,300 points to defend as the Australian Open runner-up, with further runner-up finishes from Indian Wells (650 points) and Stuttgart (325 points) to defend.

Meanwhile, Swiatek has no title points to defend until Wimbledon.

The biggest points Swiatek has to defend prior to Roland Garros are her 780 points from reaching the semi-final of the Australian Open last January.

The Pole does have semi-final points to defend at three WTA 1000 events, with her runs in Doha, Indian Wells, and Madrid all worth 390 points.

She still has big points to defend, though the first half of the season does provide an opening for her to close the gap on Sabalenka.

At Roland Garros itself, the Pole has 780 points to defend after falling to Sabalenka in the semi-final last year, while the Belarusian has 1,300 points to defend following her runner-up finish.

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