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Iga Swiatek again under scrutiny for outburst, apology
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek knows she needs to do serious work to improve her public image, which has taken a beating recently.
On Friday, the Pole went off the rails in her semifinal loss to Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva at Indian Wells. Nearly two hours into the three-setter, she directed her anger at an innocent ball boy by whacking the ball back in his direction upon receiving it. The incident led to fans in the arena booing her loudly for the rest of the match.
Swiatek very nearly hit the ball boy here and was very close to being defaulted. I'm not surprised she was booed by much of the fans at Indian Wells. pic.twitter.com/7K4jfgVN14
— Pavvy G (@pavyg) March 15, 2025
A pattern of questionable behavior
Swiatek has engaged in other shady tactics in recent months. During her semifinal loss to Madison Keys at the Australian Open, the 23-year-old made her opponent wait for more than the allotted five minutes between sets. She also tried to distract Keys before a service game, enraging the American in the process.
At the same event, Swiatek didn't own up to a double bounce in her quarterfinal win over Emma Navarro. The episode again raised questions about her sportsmanship.
At February's Doha Open, Swiatek threw a fit in her semifinal loss to Jelena Ostapenko, flinging rackets and drawing a reaction from her opponent. Again, she was lambasted by fans for her behavior.
While most of these incidents can be overlooked — tennis players are humans with emotions — the ball boy fiasco may have been the last straw, and even Swiatek knows it. On Monday, she issued a lengthy statement on social media to apologize for the incident.
Iga Swiatek on the incident with the ball boy at Indian Wells & on handling her emotions
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) March 17, 2025
“First, about the incident during my last match.
It's true - I expressed frustration in a way l'm not proud of. My intention was never to aim the ball at anyone but merely to release my… pic.twitter.com/1etCGNCdAk
Interestingly, she cited her suspension for a banned substance as a reason for her outbursts. Swiatek felt she was wrongly denied a chance to compete at events leading to the WTA Finals, which led to her losing out to Aryna Sabalenka in the race for World No. 1.
"The second half of last year was extremely challenging for me, especially due to the positive doping test and how circumstances completely beyond my control took away my chance to fight for the highest sporting goals at the end of the season."
She also called out the hypocrisy among fans for not empathizing with her and allowing her to show emotions on the court.
Iga Swiatek asks for grace in lengthy Instagram note:
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) March 17, 2025
'When I'm highly focused and don't show many emotions on court, I'm called a robot, my attitude labeled as inhuman. Now that I'm more expressive, I'm suddenly labeled immature or hysterical. That's not a healthy standard' ️ pic.twitter.com/niSwpN3vZ6
"Nevertheless, to those fans who truly support me, I deeply thank you and want you to know how grateful I am for your kindness. I know I'll never please everyone. I walk my own path," she added.
Swiatek had the chance to fix her public perception with the post. Instead, she may have worsened it.
More must-reads:
- Braves to place star player on 10-day IL
- Andrew Vaughn lifts Brewers over Cubs with career-high RBI night
- The 'Women's singles U.S. Open tennis champions' quiz
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