Crowds, joy, the anticipated "I swear," a signature on the flag, and commemorative photos—these are usually the circumstances accompanying the Olympic oath. Typically, the media records these events, being informed in advance by the national Olympic committee. Iga Świątek also took an oath before her debut at the Paris Olympics on Saturday. However, she was the only athlete participating in the ceremony, and the journalists were not informed of the date beforehand.
Świątek is currently the biggest or one of the biggest stars in Polish sports, drawing immense attention. This immense interest can easily become overwhelming, especially when significant successes are achieved at a very young age. This is the case with the 23-year-old tennis player.
The Olympics evoke strong emotions in the world’s top tennis player. Her father, Tomasz, who participated in the Seoul Olympics as a rower, explained the significance of the event to her when she was a child. The tennis player was very excited about her Olympic debut three years ago in Tokyo, which ended in tears after losing in the second round.
At that time, her position in the world rankings was different from today. She was eighth on the WTA list and had held a Grand Slam title for a year. Now, she is number one, a five-time Grand Slam champion, and especially dominant on clay courts.
Świątek has won four of her five Grand Slam titles on the courts of Roland Garros in Paris. This year's Olympics are held on the same courts. Thus, the Polish player automatically became a strong favorite, despite her relatively limited Olympic experience.
The first signal that she would need some tranquility was the decision not to stay in the Olympic village with her coaching staff. She opted for an apartment where she usually stays during Roland Garros. "The reason is to maintain routines and ensure calm around the athlete," her team conveyed to me at that time.
The Polish Olympic Committee organized three rounds of Olympic oaths in Warsaw, with many well-known athletes participating, including volleyball players expected to win medals. Tennis fans were waiting for information on when the world’s top tennis player would take part in this ceremony. When she did not appear in the list of participants for any of the Warsaw ceremonies (as she was not competing in any tournament at that time), it became clear that she would likely handle this in the French capital.
The Parisian oaths took place in the Polish House, which was officially opened on Friday. That day, the Olympic nominations were also officially received by hammer thrower Anita Włodarczyk and swimmer Katarzyna Wasick. Journalists were informed of this in advance. Therefore, it was a considerable surprise when the Polish Olympic Committee announced on Thursday evening that Świątek and her team had already taken the oath. Moreover, the tennis player was the only athlete participating in this ceremony.
The 23-year-old started her participation in the Olympic tournament in Paris on Saturday with a victory over Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu, 6-2, 7-5. Her game showed some nervousness, resulting in 30 unforced errors. After the match, Świątek briefly appeared in the interview zone. Sport.pl asked her about the unusual oath-taking situation.
"First of all, the oath in Paris was logistically easier to organize because I arrived here quite early. We agreed on this with the Polish Olympic Committee much earlier. There was a bit more peace and a bit less general chaos. I could just focus on preparing for the tournament," Świątek noted.
The world ranking leader is still waiting to find out her opponent for the second round of the Paris tournament.
