Paris opens its doors again for a tournament for the second time this season to host the 2024 Olympics. The clay courts will be graced once more by the world’s best players, with Iga Swiatek as a prime contender for the Gold medal. Her performance this season has been nothing short of phenomenal, and the familiar red clay of Paris might just be the perfect stage for her to strike gold.
Her father, Tomasz Swiatek, competed in the 1988 Seoul Games, in the men’s Quadruple Sculls rowing event and finished seventh. Because of that, Swiatek has said that “winning any medal would be a dream come true.”
At the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, she was knocked out by Paula Badosa in the second round. She said “In Tokyo, I remember how stressful it was. This year I’m trying to really keep my expectations low but really work hard to be prepared for the Olympics…I’ll try to do everything step by step, treat this tournament as any other one, even though these are the Olympics, not to put too much pressure on my shoulders.”
After having a difficult start to the 2024 season, with a third-round defeat by Linda Nosková at the Australian Open, the world #1 came back tougher than ever. She locked in a title at the Qatar Open, her third consecutive title there before making a deep run in Dubai where she reached the semifinals.
Once again, she showed grit winning the next tournament at Indian Wells before taking titles in Madrid, Rome and, finally, Roland Garros. All-in-all a quintessential season so far, with deep runs and incredible victories. However, a surprise exit in the third round at Wimbledon indicated a bigger issue – her recovery. Her back-to-back tournament runs proved to have a more severe impact on her than she expected.
After her loss against Yulia Putintseva, Swiatek said, “I really messed up my recovery, My tank was empty and I was surprised about it… Next year, I’ll take vacation and do nothing,” said the Pole.
Although her affection for grass is limited, her love for clay must be boundless, a trait that will be handy when she competes for gold at the Olympics. The slower nature of clay-court game suits her game, letting her dictate points from the baseline with her strong forehand and good touch. Her excellent footwork and tactics make her formidable on the surface and her style leans toward closing out points quickly and having her opponents play the extra ball. Her ability to stay focused on her game, and stay patient to let her tactics play out has helped her rise to the occasion. She is no stranger to stiff competition.
That said, since her loss at the All-England Club it has to be asked whether she has had enough time to recover. For an athlete to play at that level for such an extended period of time, might feel the burnout incoming. Her mental game has to be on par to help her navigate these potentially grueling matches in the tournament.
Her past victories surely will bolster her confidence heading into the Olympics. She is no stranger to stiff competition. She is no stranger to clay. The biggest question of all: Will Swiatek strike gold?
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
