Iga Swiatek admits the attention she received after becoming World No. 1 'overwhelmed' her

Iga Swiatek says she felt «overwhelmed» at the whirlwind that accompanied her becoming World No. 1. The 20-year-old Pole achieved the milestone in March at the Miami Open after an unexpected series of events that saw her win in Doha, Indian Wells and ultimately Miami, and also saw Ash Barty vacate the top spot in the WTA rankings after announcing her retirement.

Ad/> And talking to Eurosport France, Swiatek revealed the extent of just what that period had been like to experience. Roland-Garros'Always been my idol' — Swiatek on wanting to be like Nadal3 HOURS AGO She said: «At the beginning it felt a little bit like I had to pinch myself. It was a bit surreal and overwhelmed me.

»But it happened during the Miami Open and I still had to concentrate on my tennis and on the next match, so that helped me to stay the same kind of player I was even before I became world No. 1. «There were a lot of emotions but I had to postpone them to after the tournament so I could stay focussed and play well.

Wimbledon set to ban Russian players — reports Sharapova announces pregnancy on 35th birthday Former world no.1 Barty set to compete in the golf Icon Series »I got a lot of messages. My phone, for three days, was like my birthday with messages from everywhere. «A lot of people congratulated me.

Ash [Barty] for example. She was one of the first people that texted me. Lots of players onsite too [in Miami], so that was very nice.