Iga Swiatek has admitted she is ‘proud’ of her Olympic bronze medal after defeating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2 6-1.
The world number one bounced back from her semi-final defeat against Qinwen Zheng to claim Olympic bronze.
Swiatek overcame a nervy start to thrash the Slovakian as she claimed Poland’s first ever tennis medal 36 years after Iga’s father competed in Seoul.
Speaking after the match Swiatek admitted being proud as she reflected on her father being at the achievement, “Honestly, [I have] really a lot of mixed emotions because obviously I would love to play in the final tomorrow,” Swiatek admitted to NBC.
“But just getting out here today and actually enjoying playing and being able to do everything professionally and playing such a tennis that I could really kind of have peace of mind really helped me a lot.
“So I’m really happy I could do end this tournament on a positive note. It’s amazing. Honestly me and my sister were kind of raised with the spirit that the Olympics is the most important tournament—that’s why it wasn’t the easiest tournament—but this makes it even better.
“And I’m even more proud of myself that I could do it. And I’m happy my [dad] was here to see it. This is really a great place to be and play. So I’m happy that besides Roland Garros titles I could add success to it.”
After putting so much pressure on herself to achieve Olympic gold, Swiatek ultimately delivered when her country needed her the most.
Now the Pole is aiming to use that as momentum as she aims for another Grand Slam title in New York.
