‘Three weeks crying’: Swiatek responds to ‘immature or hysterical’ label
Iga Swiatek has responded to critics who labelled her “immature or hysterical” following an outburst on-court last week when she hit a ball in frustration in the direction of a ball boy.
The five-time grand slam champion expressed remorse for the incident, and detailed the emotional toll of the past six months, which included a one-month doping ban, in a lengthy social media post on Tuesday where she revealed that at times she thought her “career was hanging by a thread” and spent “three weeks crying daily”.
Tennis world No. 2 Iga Swiatek.Credit: Getty Images
“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,” Swiatek said.
“I immediately apologised to the ball boy, we made eye contact, and nodded to each other when I expressed regret that it happened near him. I’ve seen many players bounce balls in frustration, and frankly, I didn’t expect such harsh judgements. 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.”
However, the world No.2 said she was unfairly criticised at times for both showing too much, or not enough, emotion on court, and called out the unhealthy standards tennis players are expected to live up to.
“When I’m highly focused and don’t show many emotions on court, I’m called a robot, my attitude labelled as inhuman. Now that I’m more expressive, showing feelings or struggling internally, I’m suddenly labelled immature or hysterical,” Swiatek said.
“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. 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.”
