As every year at the end of December we sum up the most important performances and results of Iga Świątek in the plebiscite “The best of Iga”. We are helped in this by jurors from all over the world who deal with tennis on a daily basis. This is the first and only plebiscite in the media focused exclusively on the performances of the Polish tennis player.
In the category “Świętek’s biggest success in 2024”, experts pointed to the Polish player’s victory in Roland Garros, although they could also choose a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Paris, a triumph in the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid and staying at the top of the WTA ranking for almost the entire year. However, the triumph in Paris collected the most expert votes – as many as 11 out of 15: the 23-year-old tennis player was the best in the Grand Slam event in the French capital for the third time in a row, and the fourth time in general, because she also won in 2020.
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Among the jurors who pointed to Roland Garros as Świątek’s greatest success was French journalist Remi Bourrieres, who closely watched our tennis player’s performances. “I have no doubt that the triumph at Roland Garros is her most valuable achievement. It’s a Grand Slam, her third title in a row in Paris – an achievement that in the Open Era [since 1968 – ed.] only Monica Seles and Justine Henin have achieved. In addition, Iga had great matches, such as with Naomi Osaka or Jasmine Paolini,” he lists.
Paris belongs to Iga Świątek
In the second round, the Pole came within a whisker of defeat, when she lost to Osaka 7:6, 1:6, 4:5. However, the Japanese player did not use her match point. The then ranking leader faced Paolini in the Paris final.
The Italian was the revelation of the tournament, having never before made it past the fourth round in a Grand Slam singles. In the match deciding the title in Paris, she started brilliantly, breaking Świątek and leading 2:1. However, this only irritated the favourite, who shifted into higher gear and from that moment on won 10 games in a row!
Paolini did not suddenly lower her level – it was Świątek who played like a rocket. – She proved that she is unstoppable on earth – admits Italian journalist Diego Barbiani from the Oktennis.it portal. He regrets that his compatriot had no real chance of winning, but he appreciates our tennis player’s class. He also bet on her victory in Paris in the category of the greatest success.
Świątek defeated Paolini in 68 minutes 6-2, 6-1. It was her last tournament win this season. She had previously triumphed in WTA 1000 events in Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome.
However, two of our jurors went against the grain and decided to choose another of Świątek’s achievements – the bronze medal at the Olympic Games. The competition was also held in Paris, also on the Roland Garros courts. Why does Tomasz Wolfke from Eurosport value Świątek’s medal more than her Grand Slam win?
Appreciate the medal too
– Because this is the first medal for Polish tennis in history, after the incredibly poor balance of the Polish team’s starts so far from Seoul 1988 to Tokyo 2020. During this period, 20 tennis players were Polish Olympians, specifically 13 women and seven men, who won only eight out of 39 matches and 25 out of 87 sets during eight tournaments. The curse of the games has finally been lifted – Wolfke enumerates.
Świątek was the favorite to win the Olympic gold, but in the semifinals she was worse than Qinwen Zheng. She had only a dozen or so hours to recover from the setback and fight for bronze in a match with the Slovak Anna Karolina Schmiedlowa. The medal was highly appreciated by Agata Bachanek from TVP Info and the Sofa Sportowa YouTube channel.
– The pressure that accompanied this event, the certainty among people that there would be gold, was a huge burden. Nothing is certain in sports and you have to go out on the court and win every time. Iga coped with this pressure brilliantly. Never before had any Polish tennis player even come close to winning a medal. In addition, it is not standard to go out the next day and fight after losing a match. Iga has made history in our discipline – explains Bachanek.
