Iga Swiatek has opened up on the sacrifices made by her family to support her tennis career when she was growing up in difficult financial circumstances. The reigning Wimbledon champion is now comfortably a millionaire, having raked in a huge amount of money over the years. This year alone, she claimed over £7.5million in prize money and a further £11.2m via endorsements.

Swiatek is among the highest-paid female athletes in the world, having recently been placed third in the Forbes annual list. In spite of her incredible wealth, the Pole knows exactly how it feels to deal with financial issues. She recently spoke about her childhood and the struggles faced by her family, with her father going above and beyond to support her tennis dream.

"There comes a point in most tennis players' careers when funding options run out," she told Forbes. "It's a very expensive sport and systemic support is limited except for team tournaments, where Poland is actually represented.

"When I was 14 or 15, we were already at a stage where we really needed that support. My dad tried to distance me from these problems, but as a child, I still knew what was happening.

"I suspected it and it was a stressful time for the entire family, especially for him. My dad put a lot of work, heart, and determination into making sure my sister and I could play tennis, especially when he saw our potential and how I was developing."

Swiatek has often credited her father's support as one of the big reasons behind her success. He previously spoke about the financial problems he went through while trying to fund his daughter's career at an early age.

"It has long been known that Iga has a gift for playing," he told Polish media. "However, there were obstacles along the way, including an injury in 2017. Then everything was hanging in the balance.

"There was a moment when I was against the wall financially. When I explained to Iga that there might come a time when we would have to stop training, I was convinced to try again.

"There was a moment when I earned enough money to earn my bread and butter, but there was nothing extra thanks to which I could afford additional financing."

Swiatek's father represented Poland in rowing at the Olympics in 1988, finishing seventh in the men's quadruple sculls. He was always keen for Swiatek to become a professional sportsperson, but she wasn't always on board with the idea.

In a column for Players' Tribune in 2023, she wrote: "At the beginning, I didn't dream of being a professional tennis player. That was my dad's dream then. He wanted his daughters to do sports, to be active and maybe someday become athletes.

"I remember when I was 10 (and a little more extroverted), I'd want to stay after school and play football with the other kids rather than training tennis. My dad would come looking for me at school shouting: 'Igaaaa, come here!!!'

"There were many moments where I didn't want to push myself at tennis, so he did. He was always there, believing in me. He taught me how to be a professional and have discipline and regularity."