Behind every successful sportsperson, there is someone who stands as a pillar of support. Take the example of Venus and Serena Williams. Throughout their careers, their father, Richard Williams gave everything to support his daughters in tennis. Like the Williams sisters, Iga Swiatek has had a similar tale. She has been strongly supported by her father, Tomasz Swiatek. She hasn’t let him down, as she has become one of the best players in recent times. But where did she get the sporting genes from?
Like Swiatek, her father was also an athlete, representing Poland in various competitions. Let’s find out more about his sporting career and whether he represented his country on sport’s biggest stage, the Olympic Games.
Which sport did the father of Iga Swiatek pursue?
Tomasz Swiatek was an international rower and represented his country on many stages. He also competed at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games, representing Poland in the men’s quadruple sculls. His performance enabled Poland to win the ‘B’ final and finish seventh overall.
However, his biggest success came at the 1987 Universiade in Zagreb where he won the gold medal in quadruple sculls event. Additionally, he was also conferred an Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta ‘for sports achievements, for promoting Poland in the international arena’ a few years back.
Not only has Tomasz Swiatek supported his daughter in her tennis career but also on the personal front. When the Polish tennis star faced the wrath of fans following early Wimbledon exit last year, her father defended her.
When Swiatek’s father acted like a pillar of support for his daughter
Ever since the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out, Swiatek has often spoken about geo-political tensions. As a result, when Swiatek lost her Wimbledon match against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, it didn’t go down well with a section of her fans.
Subsequently, during an interview, her father defended her and slammed the fans, saying, “She plays with a ribbon on her hat, her views are clear – she wants the war to end. Unfortunately, after the match with Elina Svitolina there were many negative comments. It was hurtful.”
Swiatek is going strong at the ongoing Indian Wells tournament. She will face Marta Kostyuk in a few hours. It’ll be interesting to see if the Pole can win the title in Indian Wells.