Iga Świątek’s coach summed up his protégé’s game. “I’m finally smiling”

With her victory over Anna Schmiedlova, Iga Świątek sealed the first historic medal for Polish tennis at the Olympics. Throughout the tournament, our player not only faced her rivals, but also the pressure that accompanied her from the very first match, as the coach of the world ranking leader, Tomasz Wiktorowski, told Polsat Sport cameras.

We have mentioned many times that the expectations placed on Iga Świątek before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris were enormous. The athlete herself also imposed pressure on herself, admitting many times that an Olympic medal is one of her greatest dreams. Ultimately, the leader of the ranking reached for bronze, which was also greatly due to her coaching staff. Przemysław Iwańczyk talked to the Polish athlete’s coach Tomasz Wiktorowski in Paris.

– I’m finally smiling. With every minute we learn to enjoy this medal and we realize what Iga has achieved. We are very proud of her. We realize that this was a historic moment for Polish tennis. However, the lost semi-final still haunts us somewhere. Emotions are shifting more and more in this positive direction. With each passing day we will smile more and more, thinking about the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 – he said.

The defeat in the semi-final left a mark on Świątek. The Pole recovered from the defeat in 24 hours and won bronze – This time after the semi-final was very difficult. First of all for Iga. We couldn’t over-train. We have a lot of procedures that make it easier for us to function in this tennis life. We know how to behave after a victory and defeat, but we haven’t had a situation where after a defeat you have to get up the next day and do everything at the highest level, because we are fighting for something great.

There were definitely a lot of emotions and I think it was natural. Long before this Olympic tournament, many verdicts were issued and we, and above all Iga, had to face it. This produces a lot of emotions. Now we are happy with this won match for bronze – assessed the trainer.

As coach Świątek rightly noted, in tennis tournaments there is practically no situation in which a player, after losing in the semifinals, has to play another match for stakes the next day.

The only tournament that allows you to play after a defeat is the Masters tournament. I mean the WTA finals, but that’s also a different format, because first there’s the group stage, and then the semi-finals and the final. That’s the only place where you can practice, but not in a format where you have to pull yourself together from one day to the next after a defeat and fight for success. Iga did that in Paris. We’re proud of her, especially after the emotions she felt after the semi-finals – he said.

Wiktorowski also responded to the question about what he considered to be the most difficult match of our player on the courts in Paris.

The first one is always very difficult. Then the one where the highest laurels are at stake. This was confirmed. The first match with the Romanian was difficult and definitely below what Iga presented during training and the semi-final with Zheng. This was the match in which everything was missing in practically every tennis element. It was missing in the tactical, mental and physical sphere. It was not the level that Iga was able to present. That is why these were the most difficult matches. She managed the first one, unfortunately not the second one.

The Chinese player played well and solidly. She also played well tactically. She deserved this victory that day. I regret this 4:0 in the second set. It was the entrance to the fight. In tennis you do not always have to play at the highest level to win the match. We have to swallow it and accept it with humility, because Iga finally reached for bronze.

Athletes who achieved success at the Olympics, even those I spoke to yesterday, say that each subsequent Olympics allows you to look at this event from a different perspective. You gain experience that can only be gained at this event. It is a completely different sporting event from those we compete in all year. I hope that just as Tokyo was average, here it is very good, so in Los Angeles it will be brilliant – summed up the coach.