Iga Swiatek came to Paris to win a medal, and she will leave Paris with one, but it's not the one she wanted, leaving her with mixed emotions.
As the world number one on the WTA Tour, who has dominated all clay events for three years and won four trophies on the courts where the Olympics are being played, the Polish player was expected to do well.
Swiatek was expected to do really well at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and she did, but she didn't get what she came for. She came for the gold medal, a longtime dream of hers as the daughter of an Olympian, but she couldn't win it.
Qinwen Zheng bested her in the semi-final, denying her a chance to fight for the gold medal, so she had to settle for the bronze medal match against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova from Slovakia. She did that and won, winning the medal, but she was left with mixed emotions.
In a way, it was a notable achievement because there were only three medals to be won. You can't really say it's a failure, but for Swiatek, it was a failure because these Olympics were made for her, played at the Roland Garros courts.
"I don’t know honestly... a lot of mixed emotions. I’d love to play the final tomorrow. But just getting up here today and really enjoying playing and being able to do eberything professionally and playing such a tennis that I could really kind of have peace in my mind gave me a lot. I’m happy I could do it and finish this tournament on a positive note."
The match was hugely significant for Swiatek because her father was in attendance. Her father is a former athlete who competed at the Olympics, so it was great for her to be able to play a match for a medal in front of him.
It was a huge honor, and she would have liked it to be a final so that she could win the gold medal, something her father Tomasz didn't achieve when he placed seventh at the men's quadruple sculls at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
"It’s amazing. Honestly me and my sister were raised in this spirit that the Olympics are the most important tournament. That’s why it wasn’t the easiest tournament. This makes it even better."
"I’m proud of myself I could do it. I’m happy he was here to see it. This is for sure a great place for me to be and play. I’m happy that besides Roland Garros titles, I could add another success to it."
Overall, it was still a positive experience for Swiatek. She didn't win the medal she hoped to win, but she will certainly recognize the bronze medal as an achievement in the following months or years.
She still won a medal, which isn't something many tennis players can say. She got to play in front of her father at the Olympics, where he competed, too, so it was a very nice experience overall for the Swiatek family. There will always be the next Olympics and another chance to win gold. The dream lives on.
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