Iga Swiatek revealed in an emotional message that she was “ready to sum up” her Olympic experience after an emotional end to her Paris 2024 campaign.
World No 1 Swiatek was the overwhelming favourite to win gold at Roland Garros and was left in tears after her semi-final defeat to eventual gold medallist Zheng Qinwen.
That was one of the biggest shocks in Olympic tennis history, though the Pole responded impressively, easing past Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the bronze medal playof.
In the aftermath of her bronze medal match, Swiatek revealed that she may have more “humility” in the future after conceding she put too much pressure on herself to win gold.
Now, in a detailed Instagram post, the 23-year-old said she was realising how “valuable” the experience was to her – and was proud of what she had experienced at the Games.
She wrote: “After a couple of days I feel ready to sum up this chapter..
“Joy, happiness, sadness, disappointment, satisfaction, hunger for more, pride and so many other emotions, thoughts…I’m still figuring it out and I feel how valuable this experience was to me.
Maybe in the future, I will assess these two weeks with a bigger picture and a better perspective, but I already see a lot.
“First of all, how much progress I’ve made since Tokyo. How much I can do, how many opportunities I have to become a better player and human. But what’s most important is how much I’ve experienced here.
It was a special time that wouldn’t be possible without my team and my family. Thank you for what you did for me.
“Zheng Qinwen, Donna Vekic, huge congrats to you! I’m grateful I could share the Olympic podium with you two.”
A dominant talking point in the build-up to the Games was whether tennis belonged at the Olympics, and how valued the Olympics were by tennis players.
However, the emotions of Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz after their defeats, Novak Djokovic after his gold medal, and the retirements of Angelique Kerber and Andy Murray have led some to say the value is obvious.
And Swiatek herself stated that Paris 2024 had highlighted the importance of tennis in the Olympic movement, and the world of sport as a whole.
“When I’m thinking about the Olympics and tennis, I’m so proud, how our sport was pictured in Paris,” added the world No 1.
“So many amazing matches, inspirational stories, amazing pictures from the opening ceremony where tennis players had a special place.
“We should appreciate that tennis plays such an important role in the world of sports. I’m happy that my story is part of it.”
