Iga Świątek has had a really solid, but also demanding and full of twists and turns season. She won five tournaments, including one Grand Slam (Roland Garros). In the second half of the year, she saw a slight decline in her form and, in addition, took a two-month break from the game, which resulted in her losing her lead in the WTA ranking. She was eliminated in the WTA Finals after the group stage and did not defend her title, but she did not intend to end her competition in 2024 at this event. She joined the Polish national team in the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup and unquestionably led it all the way to the semi-finals, which is the best result in history!
Dawid Celt assessed Świątek's role in the Polish national team during the Billie Jean King Cup. Eloquently
Świątek performed exceptionally well, especially in the quarterfinals, when she completely turned the tables on the Czechs. After Magdalena Fręch lost to Marie Bouzkova, the world's second racket had to win her own singles match against Linda Noskova. And so it happened! In fact, just a dozen or so minutes later she appeared on the court again, this time accompanied by Katarzyna Kawa, to deal with her rivals in doubles.
Only in the semi-final did the Poles lose to the Italians. Despite this, everyone complimented the White and Reds, especially Świątek. “But this is Zadziora!”, “What kind of girl is she?” – experts wrote about it. Dawid Celt also expressed words of appreciation towards her.
The captain of the Polish national team in BJKC directly admitted what role Świątek played in the team and what importance she had for the team. – Iga Świątek is undoubtedly the leader of this team. She left everything she had best, her heart, her character – emphasized Celt in the “Sports TOP of the week” program, quoted by TVP Sport.
He didn't have to help her much during breaks in matches. – Iga needs fewer messages. This is the best girl in the world, now second in the ranking. He knows what to do on the court. My role is to know when to speak and when to remain silent, he emphasized.
Celt is a bit dissatisfied after the Billie Jean King Cup
Celt also summarized the performance of the entire team in the Billie Jean King Cup. – On the one hand, we achieved historic success and are among the four best teams in the world, but on the other hand, we were very close to the final despite various difficulties – he added. He also pointed out that there were several nuances that could have influenced the form of our players and their defeat against the Italians, such as changes in the schedule, which led to less time for regeneration, but not only that. – I don't want to make excuses, but the draw was also very difficult. Along the way, you could meet a “lighter” team, he added.
Now it's time to rest before Świątek and the other players. The WTA ranking runner-up will most likely return to competition during the United Cup, which will start at the end of 2024. In turn, in January, he will have a chance to regain the title of the first rocket in the world. The first opportunity will come at the Australian Open. Her main rival Aryna Sabalenka will defend her title there, while the Pole will only defend the points for the third round.