Iga Swiatek has made it clear that she will play at the upcoming Paris Olympics despite the change in surfaces.
The 2024 Olympic Games will begin next month, with the tennis tournament scheduled to begin on July 27th. The singles draw will be comprised of 64 players, of whom 56 will qualify based on their actual ranking as of June 10th.
So far, each National Olympic Committee is working with its respective tennis organizations to compile the final list of participants. Some countries have already named their representatives.
For instance, Spain has chosen Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in a four-man squad, while Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes Tormo will lead the women's singles. The big absentee is Paula Badosa, who believes returning to clay would hamper her back.
In recent days, we've seen a growing number of withdrawals of players who have qualified for the tournament but chose not to compete because of scheduling complications.
Others have stated about the difficulty of transitioning from grass to clay. For Swiatek, that won't be a problem, and she declared herself eager to play at the Games because she is familiar with clay courts.
Speaking to Polish outlet Przegląd Sportowy, the world No. 1, explained that she can seamlessly adjust to clay, pointing out a similar experience earlier this year when she switched from hard courts.
"I think it would be a bigger challenge if there was grass first, clay in the middle, and grass again. Going back to the meal won't be a problem for me. When I come back to it after a whole year, two days are enough and I feel great on clay. This year I already played the Billie Jean King Cup on hard, I went straight to clay in Stuttgart and I was able to play a very good tournament, so going to clay a second time will not be a problem."
Swiatek is currently preparing to play at Wimbledon. She withdrew from this week's Berlin Open. She was last in action at the 2024 French Open, where she won her fifth Grand Slam title.
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