2023 was a big year for Iga Swiatek but 2024 could be even bigger as the Polish player is targetting new heights.
Swiatek being great is nothing new, as we've seen it for two years now. She was utterly spectacular in 2022, winning two Grand Slams and spending much of the year as world number one on the WTA Tour.
She was pretty good this year, though not as dominant as last year. Even so, it was impressive to see her maintain her number-one rank at the end of the year in a year where many players stepped up their level considerably.
Now, ahead of the 2024 season, which begins in a few days, the Pole is starting another season, which can prove to be a monumental year for her. She has lofty goals, and it's an Olympic year, complicating things.
The Olympics will be played at Roland Garros, where she has won three times already, and there will never be a better chance for her to win an Olympic medal.
For former player Barbara Schett, it looks similar to Andy Murray's 2012 campaign, when he reached the final of the Wimbledon Championship, and won the Olympics, played on the same court
It reminds me a little bit of Andy Murray when the Olympics were in London, in Wimbledon, and he's done well. I think she's [Swiatek] going to embrace that. Imagine if she could win the French Open and the Olympics at Roland Garros? That would be incredible. And I think that's something which is on her radar. I think that's something she would like to achieve as well.
Schett has been so impressed by Swiatek in recent years that she firmly believes that Paris will be a cakewalk for her. It wasn't last year, though, so that enthusiasm might be a bit premature. What Schett does believe will be tricky are the other Grand Slams.
I'm not too worried about her, to be honest at the French Open, the biggest challenge or the bigger challenges are going to be the other Grand Slams for her.
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