Creating a sustainable brand marketability is a job that needs tending to. Well, mostly; Iga Swiatek can be spared from that conversation. The Pole has decorated her resume with laudable victories on the tour and brought laurels to her nation after pocketing the Olympic bronze this year. After meticulously, more so effortlessly, crafting a dominant position in the tennis world, a Forbes executive believes that Swiatek has a brand value greater than any Polish athlete.

Naturally, some will have difficulty acknowledging such assessments. Swiatek hasn’t had the best season this year. After a modest conclusion to the calendar’s first half wherein she added her fourth French Open silverware, the Pole was marred by a drop in form. Her North American hardcourt swing bore no fruition, and she later went underground. The former World No. 1 shocked fans by splitting with longtime coach Tomasz Wiktorowski. About two weeks later, she joined forces with Naomi Osaka‘s ex-coach Wim Fissette. But, it hardly restored her performance at the WTA Finals.

Despite bowing out of the year-end championship in Saudi Arabia and losing her last chance to dethrone Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka as WTA No. 1 in 2024, Monika Bondarowicz, director of the QWinners agency that deals with sports marketing in Forbes, opined that the Pole has created an illustrious brand for herself, owing to her consistent and stellar performances on the tour.

The Forbes executive told ‘Sport.Pl’, “Iga has been at the forefront of world tennis for years, guaranteeing high quality of play and regular appearances in the most important tournaments. Iga has built a strong personal brand, based on values ​​such as diligence, determination, authenticity, and modesty. These are the features that attract sponsors who want to be associated with her success and positive image.”

Because of her consistent performances at the highest level, the young talent is loaded with sponsors covering the likes of Rolex, Porsche, Lancome, and Roger Federer’s co-owned ‘On Running’. Moreover, it is estimated that the Pole stands to mint a staggering $26M for brand deals alone this year. Amazingly, Swiatek’s countryman and celebrated footballer, Robert Lewandowski, ranks below the former (78th place compared to Swiatek’s 50th position) in the annual ranking of “Sportspro” magazine in terms of the market potential.

In terms of her on-court endeavors though, Swiatek is done for the year. Not only that, she also aired a disappointing update for fans moments before her highly anticipated run in Riyadh came down crashing.

Iga Swiatek will not attend Rafael Nadal’s farewell at Davis Cup

The 2024 season has been a total rollercoaster, at least for fans. While beloved players including Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro retired from the sport, Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal also confirmed drawing the curtain on his stellar two-decade-long career after struggling with injury bouts and physical restraints since the Australian Open in 2023. Rafa announced that he will play his last match at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga, prompting many to hope to attend his farewell. Sadly, Iga Swiatek won’t make the attendee list.

During a presser at the WTA Finals, the Pole said: “I have my vacation scheduled. It’s hard to pick that. It will be impossible to get there anyway as I heard it’s all booked already and the ticket sales are crazy. Maybe I will watch it on TV, but I already had a chance to text Rafa a bit and thank him for everything he’s done. I will be following him anyway, no matter if he’s still playing or not.”

With no tour-level commitments in sight, Swiatek will likely relax after enduring a bitter-sweet run this season. The former World No. 1 will hope for improvements in her performance following the change in her coaching staff and will aim to showcase her athletic prowess in 2025, starting with the Australian hardcourt rubber.