A surprising announcement from the Polish Olympic Committee regarding Świątek.

The Olympic oath is usually a celebration during which representatives of different sports meet and is accompanied by media interest. The recent one, with the participation of only Iga Świątek, was only learned by journalists and fans after the fact. After the opening match of the games in Paris, we asked the world ranking leader about this unusual situation.

The crowd, joy, the long-awaited “I vow”, a signature on the flag and commemorative photos – these are the usual circumstances accompanying the Olympic vow. In addition, it is usually reported by the media, which is anticipated by the national Olympic committee. Iga Świątek also preceded her appearance at the Paris Games, which began on Saturday, with a vow. However, she was the only athlete to participate. And none of the journalists had learned this term beforehand.

Świątek is currently the biggest or one of the biggest stars of Polish sports and she attracts a lot of attention. So much so that it can easily be overwhelming. Especially when you start achieving great successes at a very young age. And that is exactly the case with the 23-year-old tennis player.

And the games evoke great emotions in the world’s first racket. When she was still a child, her father Tomasz, who took part in the games in Seoul as a rower, told her about the significance of this event. The tennis player was very excited about her Olympic debut three years ago in Tokyo . Then it ended in tears after losing in the second round.

But then, her position in the world hierarchy was different than it is now. At that time, she was eighth on the WTA list and had held a Grand Slam title for a year. Now, she is number one, a winner of five such events and – especially on clay courts – a dominator.

Świątek has won four of her five Grand Slam victories at Roland Garros in Paris. This year’s games are being held at exactly the same venues. The Pole has automatically become a huge favorite, despite her relatively limited Olympic experience.

The first sign that she would need some peace and quiet was her decision not to live in the Olympic Village with her coaching staff. She opted for the apartment where she usually stays during Roland Garros. “The reason is to maintain routines and ensure peace around the player,” Świątek’s team told me at the time.

The Polish Olympic Committee organized three rounds of the Olympic oath in Warsaw, which were attended by many famous players, including volleyball players who were expected to win a medal. Tennis enthusiasts were waiting for information about when the world’s first racket would take part in this ceremony. When she did not appear on the list of participants in any of the Warsaw ceremonies (she did not compete in any tournaments at that time), it became clear that she would most likely want to do it in the capital of France.

The Paris oaths are held at the Polish House, which was officially opened on Friday. That day, hammer thrower Anita Włodarczyk and swimmer Katarzyna Wasick also officially received their Olympic nominations. Journalists were notified in advance. The information published by the Polish Olympic Committee on Thursday evening that Świątek and her team had already taken their oaths came as a big surprise. What’s more, the tennis player was the only athlete taking part in the ceremony.

The 23-year-old began her participation in the Olympic tournament in Paris on Saturday with a 6:2, 7:5 victory over Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu. There was no shortage of nervousness in her game, and it resulted in 30 unforced errors. After the match, the Pole appeared in the interview zone for a moment. Sport.pl asked her about the unusual vow.

First of all, the oath in Paris was logistically easier to organize, because I arrived here quite early. We had already arranged it with the Polish Olympic Committee much earlier. There was a bit more peace and a bit less of the general chaos. I could simply concentrate on preparing for the tournament – Świątek noted.

The world ranking leader is still waiting for her opponent to be selected in the second round of the Paris tournament.