ABU DHABI, 13th July, 2023 (WAM) — With Polish tennis player Iga Świątek reaching the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, she achieved an unprecedented milestone in her sporting career by reaching this stage of the tournament for the first time.
Świątek bid farewell to the tournament in the quarterfinals after losing to Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina on Tuesday, one of the surprises of the current championship. However, she surpassed her previous best performance at Wimbledon, reaching the fourth round in the 2021 edition.
Over the past two years, Świątek has proven to be a new icon in the world of women's tennis and a significant face in Polish sports.
Currently, she rightfully holds the top spot in the women's tennis professional rankings and captures most of the spotlight in the women's game, following the departure of several legends in recent years, such as American Serena Williams and Russian Maria Sharapova.
Just a few weeks ago, Świątek clinched the French Open title at Roland-Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the current season, marking her third title in the last four editions of the tournament and her fourth Grand Slam title overall.
Alongside her prominent position in the tennis world, Świątek represents a crucial part of Polish sports.
After their match in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, Svitolina commented on Świątek, stating, “Iga is not just a great champion, but she is an exceptional personality. It is not easy to play against someone with whom you share many happy moments.”
"It was not easy to play against Iga, who is the deserved world number one and always fights," she added.
Both Świątek and veteran football striker Robert Lewandowski, who currently plays for Barcelona Football Club, are at the forefront of the sports scene in Poland, representing an integral part of Polish culture, whether in terms of participation or competition in tournaments or hosting major sporting events.
Lewandowski has had a long and successful career in German football, winning several titles and achieving records with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich before joining Barcelona in the summer of 2022.
Polish sports have a rich history on European and global stages, with football being the most popular sport in the country, and has achieved several notable accomplishments, including the Polish national team's third-place finish in the 1974 World Cup in Germany and the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, as well as winning the gold medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany.
The 1970s was considered the golden era of Polish football, with the legendary Polish player Grzegorz Lato shining in the 1974 World Cup, where he became the tournament's top scorer with seven goals and established himself as one of the game's greatest stars in history.
Poland co-hosted the UEFA European Championship in 2012 alongside neighbouring Ukraine.
In addition to football, Polish clubs have a good history of participation in European competitions, with Legia Warsaw, Lech Poznań and Wisła Kraków leading the way.
Besides football, other team sports such as handball, volleyball and ice hockey are popular in Poland. Additionally, sports such as swimming, athletics, gymnastics and boxing are widely practised throughout the country.
Świątek has made tennis a popular sport in Poland, due to her global achievements, and she now shares the spotlight with Lewandowski as the current leading face of Polish sports.