World No.1 Iga Swiatek was named Polish Sportsperson of the Year for the second consecutive year. The prestigious award has been presented since 1926 by Poland's oldest daily sports newspaper, Przeglad Sportowy.
In 2023, Swiatek followed up her remarkable 2022 campaign by successfully defending her Roland Garros title to rule in Paris for a third time and becoming the youngest active player to hold four Grand Slam titles. The 22-year-old also added five more Hologic WTA Tour titles to her collection, including her first WTA Finals win, Beijing, Stuttgart, Doha, and her home tournament in Warsaw.
And in a season that saw her 75-week reign at No.1 end after the US Open, Swiatek proved her resilience once again to come storming back to win her last 11 matches of the year and reclaim the top spot.
"My dad and my sister are probably still partying at the gala," Swiatek said. "I'm super proud of myself. It's the second year that I got to feel support from the fans and I really feel like they really appreciate my work and it's the best feeling ever.
"Hubi also came in the Top 10 in this ranking so I feel like it's a good day for Polish tennis for sure."
Last year, Swiatek became the first tennis player to win the prestigious award since 1937. Jadwiga Jedrzejowska, Poland's best player before the advent of Open Era tennis in 1968, won the award in 1936 and 1937.
Swiatek is currently representing Poland at the United Cup in Sydney. She has enjoyed an undefeated start to her 2024 campaign, going 5-0 in singles in the team competition.
The Polish star breathlessly accepted the award while riding an exercise bike in the player gym.
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