Iga Swiatek was the odds-on favourite to win the Olympics after her victory at Roland Garros in June.
The red carpet had to be quickly rolled up as Iga Swiatek slumped to defeat in the Olympic semi-finals.
After having put together a dominant campaign and extended her run to 25 matches unbeaten at Roland Garros, the Pole looked set to clutch gold.
A controversial win against Danielle Collins in the quarter-finals saw a small wobble as the world number one lost her first set of the tournament.
The fierce Zheng Qinwen was bidding to win China’s first medal in the tennis after Li Na’s fourth place finish in Beijing 2008.
A staggering display saw Zheng rally past an error-prone Swiatek, dropping to her knees in celebration upon securing the upset.
Swiatek said that she’d cried for six hours after the defeat, as both the tennis world and most importantly her tried to come to terms with the defeat.
How did Iga Swiatek sum up the pain and pleasure of Paris?
After a resounding victory in the bronze medal match, Swiatek took a few days to process the bitter-sweet week in Paris.
She posted on her Instagram on Tuesday: “It’s been a while, so I can slowly summarize this chapter… Joy, happiness, sadness, disappointment, satisfaction, insufficiency, pride and many other emotions, many thoughts… putting these games in my head and feeling how full the experience it was for me.”
I’ll probably look at these two weeks from a longer distance, but I’m seeing, a lot already. How much progress I’ve made since Tokyo! How much more can I do, now many opportunities can I use to be a better tennis player and a human being – first of all. But the most important thing for me is how much I lived here. It was a special time and it wouldn’t have been possible without my team and my family. Thank you for what you do.”
Swiatek’s run in Tokyo came to an end in the second round, again leaving her visibly distraught on court.
She continued to recognise her WTA teammates, saying: “Qinwen, Donna, huge congratulations – so grateful to have shared the Olympic podium with you.
“When I think about these games and tennis, something else comes to my mind. So bloody proud of how well our sport did in Paris. So many great matches, history, and what great highlights we saw on the opening day. Let’s appreciate it: tennis has an important place in the world of sports and I’m glad my story is a part of it.”
Will Iga Swiatek bounce back for the US Open?
The Pole’s run in Paris was ended by two things – an exceptional Zheng, and a poor Swiatek.
With three consecutive French Open titles, the hard courts are Swiatek’s second love, with the US Open the only other major she has won.
Defeat to Jelena Ostapenko in 2023 jolted the Pole as she lost her world number one ranking, but it wasn’t long before she reclaimed top spot where she has since remained.
With the hard court season a much more competitive period on the WTA Tour, Swiatek will be ready and raring to go and after choosing to withdraw from Toronto, will be wanting a fast start in Cincinnati.
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