Did Iga Swiatek have more pressure to win at Paris Olympics than French Open? Understanding the World No. 1's surprise semifinal loss
Iga Swiatek's dream of becoming an Olympic gold medalist came to a halt at the 2024 Paris Olympics after her upset loss in the semifinals. The result was shocking, considering the Pole had swept aside every opponent en route to her third straight triumph at the 2024 French Open just two months ago.
Iga Swiatek has reigned supreme on the WTA Tour over the last three years with her regular triumphs at big tournaments, especially on the clay courts. Her four Major titles at the Stade Roland Garros have played a significant role in cementing her supremacy on the WTA Tour. So it was natural that the Pole was expected to bag the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, played at the same venue.
The 23-year-old came to the Olympics with an excellent form on clay. She had lost only one match on the surface during the entirety of the 2024 WTA Tour's clay swing and picked up titles at the WTA-1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome, in addition to her third straight French Open. Iga Swiatek did very well managing the enormous expectations in her initial rounds at the Olympics.
However, she showed the first signs of nerves during her quarterfinal win against Danielle Collins, in which she dropped her first set of the tournament. The pressure mounted even further in the semifinals against Zheng Qinwen, who she had beaten six times before, and Swiatek crumbled in straight sets.
The Pole was expected to walk away with the gold medal in Paris, given she was the trophy holder at the same venue two months ago and due to the withdrawal of several key rivals such as Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina. However, the pressure under which Swiatek played in Paris for the Grand Slam and the Olympic gold medal was vastly different.
During the French Open, while the five-time Grand Slam champion was the firm favorite for the title, other stars at the competition, such as Sabalenka and Rybakina, took some of the limelight away from Swiatek. After she steamrolled her opponents at the clay Slam, the Paris Olympics were seen as the Pole's tournament to lose. Many had all but given her the gold medal even before the tournament began, drumming up the expectation game and, subsequently, the pressure on Swiatek.
There is no doubt that the Pole will get a few more shots to win an Olympic gold medal in the future. But for all we know, Paris might have been her best chance at the accolade that has alluded many tennis greats such as Novak Djokovic.
Iga Swiatek can still win a medal at Paris Olympics
Iga Swiatek will surely be disheartened after losing a chance to play in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics. However, she still has a chance to bag an Olympic medal in the French capital. The Pole will now turn her attention to the bronze medal match, which will be played on August 2.
Swiatek will be up against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the bronze medal match. Schmiedlova has scripted one of the storylines at the 2024 Paris Olympics with her fairytale run. The lone tennis entrant from Slovakia stunned Katie Boulter, 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, fourth seed and French Open and Wimbledon runners-up Jasmine Paolini, and ninth seed and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Schmiedlova's dream run was ended by Croatia's Donna Vekic in the semifinals, 6-4, 6-0. Now, for a podium finish, the Slovak will face Swiatek in their first meeting on the professional tour.