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sports Tuesday 5 april 2022
Analysis: Iga Swiatek’s rapid rise to No. 1 not mind-blowing

By HOWARD FENDRICH “Just watching your journey
AP Tennis Writer is really incredible,” Osaka
When new No. 1 Iga Swi- told Swiatek during the tro-
atek’s latest match ended phy ceremony Saturday,
with another victory, her “and I hope you continue
17th in a row, she jogged having fun.”
over to greet her team in a After a bit of down time in
corner of the Miami Open Florida, Swiatek said, she
stadium. She shook her will head home to Warsaw,
head, put her hands near where she is sure to be fet-
her temples and made the ed as the first Polish tennis
universal gesture for “mind player — female or male —
blown.” to get to No. 1.
Yes, this run has been im- And then it’ll be on to pre-
pressive: Swiatek is 26-3 paring for, and playing on,
overall in 2022 and the first the clay-court circuit, lead-
woman to win the first three ing up to Roland Garros,
WTA 1000 events of a sea- where play begins May 22.
son. Also impressive: The First things first, though.
2020 French Open cham- Swiatek is looking forward
pion’s rapid ascension to to a chance to decom-
the top of the rankings, offi- press and to comprehend
cially replacing the recent- all that has happened late-
ly retired Ash Barty there on Iga Swiatek of Poland reacts after beating Naomi Osaka of Japan, 6-4, 6-0, during the women’s ly. For one thing, while she
Monday. singles finals of the Miami Open tennis tournament, Saturday, April 2, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. knew the talent and ability
What none of it has been, Associated Press were there, she could not
to anyone paying atten- ing really fast.” champion and former No. and No. 2 thanks to her vic- know for sure what sort of
tion, is surprising — even if That’s certainly true. 1 herself — in the Miami fi- tory at Indian Wells, Califor- effect the mental pressure
Swiatek says the whirlwind Consider where she was nal. nia, last month. and physical exhaustion of
of the past several weeks 18 months ago. Still a teen- Instead of the sort of step “It’s been really cool to competing so much in such
caught her a bit off guard. ager, ranked 54th, without back that often can ac- watch her grow,” Osaka a short amount of time
“Sometimes, I think it’s a bit a tour-level trophy to her company a Grand Slam said. “For me, I think the would have.
too much, you know?” the name, she parlayed a top- breakthrough, particularly most impressive thing is be- “Truth be told, I know what
20-year-old from Poland spin-heavy forehand, a will- one by someone so young, ing able to string together kind of tennis I can play.
said in a video interview ingness to shift shot speeds, Swiatek kept her feet on the these two (tournament) And (in) practices, I was
with The Associated Press. get-to-every-ball court ground and her head in the wins in a row. showing a similar level. But
Asked what she meant by coverage, strong returning game, making it to at least While the last step up was I thought that it’s going to
that, Swiatek — whose last and in-match smarts into a the fourth round at each of hastened along by Barty’s be possible for me to play
name is pronounced sh- Grand Slam championship the subsequent five majors, departure from the game like that in matches maybe
vee-ON-tek — explained: in Paris in October 2020. including a semifinal ap- — and decision to drop out in a few years,” Swiatek
“I didn’t have much time to Those skills are apparent to pearance at the Australian of the rankings rather than said. “So it is a little bit mind-
rest and to reflect on what this day, along with such Open in January. remain at No. 1 as long as blowing, because I felt like
led to this success or how improvements as the kick And her ranking kept mov- her points would allow — it everything clicked this sea-
this happened, basically, serve that bothered Naomi ing up, to No. 17 by the end was clearly a natural pro- son. And I wasn’t expecting
because it was all happen- Osaka — a four-time major of 2020, No. 4 to close 2021 gression for Swiatek. to be that consistent.”q

Netherlands coach Van Gaal says he

has prostate cancer

THE HAGUE, Netherlands energy or whatever, and finals of the 2014 World
(AP) — Netherlands nation- I thought, ‘they shouldn’t Cup in Brazil. He also has
al soccer team coach Lou- know,’” he said. coached clubs including
is van Gaal has revealed “I have been to the hospi- Barcelona, Manchester
that he is being treated for tal in the evening or night United, Bayern Munich and
an aggressive form of pros- in every period, without Ajax, leading the Amster-
tate cancer but still plans to the players knowing,” the dam club to the Champi-
lead the team at the World 70-year-old coach said. ons League title in 1995.
Cup in Qatar in November. Van Gaal lost his first wife to He did not attend last
Van Gaal told Sunday night cancer. week’s World Cup draw in
Dutch talk show “Humber- “It’s part of life. I have ex- Qatar after testing positive
to” that players in the team perienced so much with for COVID-19. The Nether- Louis Can Gaal, coach of the Dutch national soccer team walks
towards the mixed zone after a team training in Hoenderloo,
did not know about his di- disease and death, in my lands was drawn to play eastern Netherlands, Thursday, May 15, 2014.
agnosis even though he own family, my wife,” he host Qatar, Senegal and Associated Press
was receiving night-time said. “I have probably Ecuador. Ahead of the
treatment during four train- been enriched as a person draw, Van Gaal said it was chester United is fully be- UEFA also sent best wishes
ing camps. by all those experiences I ridiculous the tournament hind our former manager, via Twitter, and the official
“You don’t tell something have had with it.” was being played in Qatar. Louis van Gaal, in his battle Dutch supporters site “Ons
like this to people you work Van Gaal is in his third stint Manchester United posted against cancer. Sending Oranje” tweeted an or-
with because it could influ- as Netherlands coach. He support for Van Gaal on you strength and courage, ange heart above a photo
ence their choices, their led the team to the semi- Twitter. “Everybody at Man- Louis,” the club wrote. of Van Gaal.q