Paris 2024: Iga Swiatek overwhelmed by feat of winning Olympic medal - 'Thought it was only for superhumans'

Iga Swiatek is certainly not a player who undervalues an Olympic medal. The women's singles top seed's tears from Thursday's disappointment through to Friday's triumph were a perfect example of her love for the Games. A comfortable 6-2 6-1 victory over Anna Schmiedlova confirmed the realisation of a dream that she "never expected" as a child - a place on the podium at Paris 2024.

‘Credit to her!’ – Swiatek praised for bouncing back to win bronze

Video credit: TNT Sports

Self-professed Olympic Games enthusiast Iga Swiatek was pleased with her “professional” performance as she overcame Anna Schmeidlova to clinch bronze at Paris 2024.

The Pole admitted that her love for the Games could have placed added pressure on her shoulders that contributed to her semi-final defeat to world No. 7 Zheng Qinwen on Thursday.

Swiatek was inconsolable after that contest, but regained her ruthless streak against her Slovakian opponent in the third-place play-off, rattling off five consecutive games to round off both sets 6-2 6-1.

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The tears reappeared following her bronze medal victory, but they seemed to stem from joy, rather than regret, with Swiatek declaring her long-standing admiration of the competition.

“I think that my sister and I - she can confirm that - we were raised around the myth of the Olympics," Swiatek said.

“I think that's why I threw a lot at myself during this tournament. That's why I'm even happier that I did it.

Watch as inconsolable Swiatek ends interview early after Zheng loss at Olympics

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“In tennis, for most of the players, the Olympics aren't that important. A lot of people, as you can see, didn't even participate in the tournament. But for us, it was really important.

“To be honest, I didn’t think about an Olympic medal when I was a little girl. The same as not being able to be [world] No. 1 or win medals.

“It seemed like a total abstraction to me. I thought it was only for superhumans and the people who were on TV, I don't know, totally abstract characters to me. I'm sorry, I can't put it into words.”

It was a bittersweet triumph for the top seed, who admitted that it was difficult to get herself going again with disappointment so fresh in her mind, even if her performance on Friday showed few signs of distraction.

'An upset for the times' - Zheng stuns Swiatek to make history

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“To be honest, a real, ultimate dream is probably gold,” said Swiatek. “But I'm very happy that I have shaken it off after yesterday's match because it wasn't easy to get out today and I got the joy of playing.

“Of course, yesterday's match could have been better but with all the pressure I had on me, when I calmly think about yesterday and this morning, it's still good.

“In tennis, we rarely have a situation where we go out on the court after losing a match. I'm happy that I was able to finish with a positive result and any medal is a huge achievement.

Swiatek 'different class' as she bounces back from heartbreak to claim bronze

Video credit: TNT Sports

“Because yesterday I felt like I had at least something to regret, so I'm happy that I was professional.

“I'm very happy that throughout my career I've worked hard to get a medal and win a match in such a way because it's something amazing for me and I never expected it.”

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