"Is Elena Rybakina No. 1 for 100 weeks? How many Slams does she have?" - Iga Swiatek fans outraged as Kazakh touted as current 'best women's player'

Iga Swiatek's fans have not taken kindly to the suggestion that Elena Rybakina is the best player on the WTA tour.

Rybakina recently won her third title of the year at the 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, notching up her tour-leading 26th win of the season by beating Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

En route her triumph, the World No. 4 thwarted two-time defending champion Swiatek's bid to clinch her third consecutive title at the WTA 500 event. The Kazakh snapped the World No. 1's 10-match win streak in Stuttgart, claiming a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win in the semifinals.

Soon after Elena Rybakina's triumph, Tennis.com stirred controversy by suggesting that the 24-year-old has surpassed the competition, with the accompanying article saying that Rybakina "just might be the best women's tennis player in the world."

"Is Elena Rybakina currently the best women's tennis player in the world?" they posted on X.

Iga Swiatek's fans on the social media platform were incensed at the suggestion, particularly as the Pole recently entered her 100th week as World No. 1. Fans asserted that Rybakina's achievements pale in comparison to Swiatek's, emphasizing the Pole's higher Grand Slam count and ranking.

"Is she number 1 for 100th weeks? How many GS does she have?" one fan commented.

"Imagine tweeting this when IGA SWIATEK has achieved 100 weeks ranked as no 1. Quite insensitive tweet and disrespectful to IGA SWIATEK," another fan chimed in.

"Iga just yesterday passed the 100-week benchmark as the #1. What an interesting timing for your tweet," said another.

One fan pointed out that despite accumulating three titles this season, Rybakina hasn't triumphed at major events like the Australian Open or any of the four WTA 1000 events in 2024.

"We have had one slam and 4 M1000 tournament already this year. 4 M1000, one slam and a YEC in the last few months of the last year. Elena Rybakina has won zero of those titles. Start hiring writers who grasp basic common sense and mathematics," the fan posted.

Another fan dismissed the claim as "recency bias," arguing that following this logic, Danielle Collins would be considered the best player given her consistency and victory at the WTA 1000 Miami Open.

"Ijbol the recency bias is so real. If that's the case then undefeated Danielle Collins is much better since she won a 1000 too. Oh and beat Elena Rybakina in the final btw," the fan commented.

Other fans contended that the suggestion only emerged because the World No. 4 beat Iga Swiatek in Stuttgart, contending that the win "legitimized" the Kazakh.

"Iga is the best. And the only reason you are even asking this question is because Rybakina managed to defeat her. You beat Iga - you are legitimized. Simple. But saying she is the best is like saying Sybille Bammer was better than Serena, because she had a positive H2H with her," one fan wrote.

"Must we do this every time a non-Iga girlie wins a tourney😭," another fan commented.

"Is *the last person to win a tournament* currently the best women's tennis player in the world? Yawn," shared another.

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Iga Swiatek: "Me, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are the best players on tour"

With her win over Iga Swiatek in Stuttgart, Elena Rybakina took a 4-2 lead in their head-to-head record. However, Swiatek maintained that there isn't a particular aspect of the Kazakh's game that she finds "tricky" to deal with.

Instead, she asserted that their clashes are typically challenging because Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka and herself are the three best players on tour.

"Well, there is no, like, one specific thing (that I find tricky when facing Elena Rybakina). I just think, you know, honestly probably me, Aryna, and her are the best players on tour, honestly," Swiatek said in her post-match press conference.

Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will be in action at the 2024 Madrid Open next, commencing their campaigns in the second round after first-round byes.