Caroline Garcia: Iga Swiatek has set the bar high, there is no need to hide it

Iga Swiatek finished off 2022 at the top of the WTA rankings and there's no denying the fact that she is at a level above the rest of the players. The 21-year-old even has more than double the points of World No. 2 Ons Jabeur.

Reigning WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia believes that it will be a huge task for other players to beat the No.1 as Swiatek has "set the bar high."

Swiatek experienced the most successful season of her career in 2022, climbing eight spots from last year's rankings to the top. She clinched two Grand Slams this year, including the US Open and the French Open.

In a conversation with Eurosport, Caroline Garcia reflected on the dominance of the Polish player. She admitted that it would be "almost impossible" for her to beat Swiatek and reach the No. 1 spot without winning a Grand Slam in the upcoming season.

"You know that the World No. 1 spot is something quite legendary. It's historic in a career. So it's part of the things to do or try to accomplish at least once. Let's say that Iga [Swiatek] has set the bar high, there is no need to hide it," Garcia expressed.

"Anyway, given the scenario, it will be almost impossible to reach it without winning a Grand Slam. So I'm going to try to be solid all year and see where it brings me," she added.

Garcia is now at the No. 4 spot in the WTA rankings and hopes to climb a couple of spots on the leaderboard before the 2023 French Open.

"I could very well arrive in Paris for the French Open sitting at the No. 2 spot in the rankings. It's a possibility," she said.

"The first part of the season is going to be interesting, it comes very quickly with the Australian Open. We'll see what I can do. But sure, It would be nice to arrive at Roland Garros with an even better ranking," the 29-year-old added.

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Iga Swiatek to begin her 2023 season at the United Cup

Iga Swiatek at the 2022 World Tennis League

Iga Swiatek will begin her proceedings in the upcoming season with the United Cup, which is set to commence on December 29. The World No. 1 will be part of the Poland squad, where she will team up with compatriots Hubert Hurkacz and Magda Linette.

Poland are drawn in Group B of the tournament, alongside Switzerland and Kazakhstan. Swiatek will face Belinda Bencic for the match against the Swiss. In the other fixture, she will lock horns with Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva.

Iga Swiatek was last seen in action at the 2022 WTA Finals, where she suffered an exit in the semifinals at the hands of World No. 5 Aryna Sabalenka.