"You don't have to be happy, all emotions are allowed" - Iga Swiatek's psychologist Daria Abramowicz on how Pole is coping with Olympic bronze win

Iga Swiatek's psychologist Daria Abramowicz recently opened up about how the World No.1 is handling her bronze medal victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Swiatek defeated Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova to secure the medal.

Initially, Swiatek was set to compete in both the singles and mixed doubles events at the Games, with Hubert Hurkacz as her partner in the latter. However, she only participated in the singles event after Hurkacz withdrew from the tournament due to a knee injury.

In singles, Iga Swiatek was the top seed and she defeated the likes of Irina-Camelia Begu, Diane Parry, Wang Xinyu, and eighth seed Danielle Collins in the quarterfinals before succumbing to sixth seed and eventual gold medalist Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals. However, after the loss, the World No.1 bounced back and clinched the bronze medal by defeating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

Iga Swiatek's psychologist and mental coach Daria Abramowicz, who has been a key figure in the Pole's team through all her major victories and losses, discussed how the five-time Grand Slam champion is processing her bronze medal win.

Abramowicz stated that not everyone reacts the same way to results, and it's normal for individuals to have varying emotions.

"First of all, you don't always have to be happy with the result in the first throw if someone doesn't feel it at the moment. All emotions are allowed because there is no single rule. We look for patterns of how to react in different situations, sometimes forgetting that a given situation can mean something different to different people," Abramowicz told Rzeczpospolita Sport.

The psychologist also referenced Victoria Azarenka's preference for winning a bronze medal over silver, as it is won after winning a match, unlike silver which is won when a player loses the gold medal match.

Azarenka, who had won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics by defeating Maria Kirilenko had said:

"I remember I played against Maria Kirilenko and when I won it, I was for sure the happiest for sure on the podium. The bronze for me is so much better than silver. It has to be gold or bronze. Silver, sorry, bye bye. I don't like it. Emotionally it's very difficult. But the reward and the feeling of getting it was just beyond," Azarenka told WTA Insider.

Abramowicz stated that a win is "valuable" and "satisfying" when a player concludes a tournament on their terms.

"Victoria Azarenka - she was the only one who won bronze, being the leader of the ranking and fighting for an Olympic medal - said that for her such a medal is more valuable than silver. It is valuable and satisfying when you get the chance to end the tournament on your own terms. So maybe there is no joy, but there can be satisfaction, pride, fulfillment," Abramowicz added.

Iga Swiatek on her campaign at the Paris Olympics 2024: "Being No.1 makes me feel I can handle everything, but this tournament showed me that’s not the case"

Iga Swiatek

Speaking after her bronze medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Iga Swiatek, who was visibly emotional after losing her semifinal match and losing her chance to win a gold medal to Zheng Qinwen, admitted that had she not won the bronze medal, she would have been in tears for more than a week.

Swiatek confessed that despite being the World No.1 the Olympic Games taught her that handling pressure is not as easy as she once believed.

"I hadn’t won (the bronze) I would have cried for a week. Being number one makes me feel I can handle everything, but this tournament showed me that’s not the case. This motivates me to work harder," Iga Swiatek said (via CLAY) .

The five-time Grand Slam champion stated she was able to secure the bronze medal by letting go of the expectations and pressures of others and by focusing on playing for herself.

“I realised that I had put on a very heavy backpack. The thought that I was playing for so many people added pressure that prevented me from playing my best tennis. I thought I had to play for myself and that’s how I faced the bronze match in a better way," she added.

By defeating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and clinching the bronze, Iga Swiatek improved her career win-loss record at Roland Garros to an impressive 40 wins and three losses.