Former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek posted a lengthy explanation on social media this week after the tennis pro faced heavy criticism for nearly hitting a ball boy out of frustration during her semifinal loss at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, last week.
During the third set of the match, a ball boy tossed a ball in Swiatek’s direction, which she then immediately swatted back at him – just missing him.
The ball hit the ground and deflected into the crowd behind the ball boy, prompting a harsh reaction from fans in the stands. That criticism continued on social media in the days that followed the Friday match.
On Monday, Swiatek responded with a lengthy post explaining the situation and also calling out the double standard of fans.
“I see there’s been a lot of recent talk about changes in my on-court behavior and emotions. Although I’m not comfortable explaining myself, it’s time I share my perspective to stop the speculation and baseless theories,” her post began.
“First, about the incident during my last match. It’s true – I expressed frustration in a way I’m not proud of. My intention was never to aim the ball at anyone but merely to release my frustration by bouncing it on the ground. I immediately apologized to the ball boy, we made eye contact, and nodded to each other when I expressed regret that it happened near him.”
Swiatek said she has seen many players “bounce balls in frustration” and was surprised by the criticism she received for it.
TENNIS STAR IGA SWIATEK ACCEPTS 1-MONTH SUSPENSION FOR BANNED SUBSTANCE
“I didn’t expect such harsh judgments. Usually, I control such impulses, so half-jokingly I can say I lack experience in this and misjudged my aim in the heat of the moment.”
Swiatek also lamented the “constant judgement” she said she is subjected to.
“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, showing feelings or struggling internally, I’m suddenly labeled immature or hysterical. That’s not a healthy standard-especially considering that just six months ago, I felt my career was hanging by a thread, spent three weeks crying daily, and didn’t want to step on the court.”
Swiatek made reference to her recent doping scandal, when, in August, she tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, or TMZ. The results of that test were made public in November and the International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted her explanation that the result was unintentional and caused by the contamination of the non-prescription medication melatonin that she was taking for issues with jet lag and sleeping.
“Today, after everything I’ve been through, I’m still processing and coming to terms with those experiences. Will sharing this change anything? Probably not, because I clearly see how much we love judging, creating theories, and imposing opinions on others. But perhaps a few people who genuinely want to understand what I’m experiencing will understand this. In any case, this external standard is definitely not my standard, and I don’t accept my team and me being boxed into external expectations.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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