Serena Williams' childhood coach Rick Macci is tipping Iga Swiatek to return to the world No. 1 spot in the first part of the 2026 season.
Swiatek, who became the world No. 1 for the first time in April 2022, has spent a total of 125 weeks at the top spot so far in her career. The Polish tennis star's last stint at the No. 1 spot ended in October 2024, when she was overtaken by Aryna Sabalenka.
This year, Swiatek mightily struggled in the first part of the year and even plummeted to No. 8 in the world in June. However, after winning Wimbledon and the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati, the six-time Grand Slam champion quickly climbed to No. 2 in the world.
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Heading into 2026, Sabalenka holds a 2,475-ranking point lead over Swiatek. But the Belarusian has far more points to defend in the first part of the season than the Pole.
Macci tips Swiatek to return to the WTA throne
"The Polish Punisher 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 a disaster. Number one is down the street because the Punisher has the mind and the feel," Macci wrote on X.
In late November, Swiatek's coach Wim Fissette noted that returning to the top would be one of the Pole's priorities in 2026.
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"The priorities are not changing. Iga wants to be the best in the world. We want to win a Grand Slam, hopefully more than one. We intend to be as close as possible to the No. 1 in the ranking," Fissette told Polish tennis journalist Dominik Senkowski.
Swiatek had an outside chance to overtake Sabalenka in late 2025, but ultimately didn't manage to do so.
