The top-ranked player also talked about how she needed to start over after a “pretty stressful” Olympics experience in Paris and revealed her strategy for approaching the Cincinnati Open as a “practice tournament.”

With four French Open titles under her belt, Swiatek was the overwhelming favorite to win the gold medal in women’s singles tennis in the 2024 Games, which will be held on clay at Stade Roland Garros.

The world No. 7 and eventual gold champion, Zheng Qinwen, dealt the heartbreaking loss to the Polish star in the semi-finals, 2-6, 5-7.

In the bronze medal match, the 23-year-old showed remarkable resilience after losing to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, winning 6-2, 6-1.

After missing the Canadian Open in Toronto, Swiatek will compete in her first competition after the Olympics at the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati.

During her pre-tournament press conference, Swiatek highlighted the demanding tennis schedule and voiced her fear that it is becoming increasingly difficult with each passing season.

The Pole remarked, “Our calendar is crazy, probably the toughest one in sports.”

Certain sports are particularly difficult because they carry a high risk of physical harm. However, most sports take four, sometimes even six, months off. It’s frightening that our hectic schedule seems to be getting more chaotic every year. Simply put, you must train sensibly.

The five-time Grand Slam winner also gave her Olympic campaign some thought and emphasized the value of starting over.

According to Swiatek, “It wasn’t easy, and it was pretty stressful.”

But I’m glad I was able to take a medal and a wealth of self-knowledge with me when I left Paris. For me, taking lessons from this experience was of utmost importance.

“I was pleased with myself, and proud that I managed to handle all of this pressure and still receive a medal.” Undoubtedly, it wasn’t your typical tournament.

“After the Olympics, I really felt like I needed to reset and just concentrate on regaining my technique and playing hard on the court.

This is the ideal location for it. Although there are a lot of people and supporters present even before the competition, it feels a little less frantic. Thus, you continue to believe that the tournament is significant.

Next, Swiatek focused on her upcoming season in Cincinnati, where she hopes to capture her first championship.

“I understand that this will be my first hard court tournament, and it won’t be easy,” she continued.

I’m going to attempt to approach it as a practice tournament, but not because I don’t care, but rather because I want to put all of my practiced strategies into action. For now, I believe that’s the best course of action. We’re moving slowly and methodically through everything.

“It won’t be flawless right away, but I had a few days to really get used to the surface, so I’m trying to do my best every day and will go into court the following day knowing that I can do better.”

In her Cincinnati debut, Swiatek will take on either Varvara Gracheva or Ajla Tomljanovic. In 2023, she advanced to the semifinals, her best-ever performance in a WTA 1000 event.