IGA SWIATEK BREAKS HER SILENCE AFTER 'UNACCEPTABLE' BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS INDIAN WELLS BALL KID WITH STRONGLY WORDED STATEMENT

• Swiatek lost her temper as she crashed out of Indian Wells in the semi-finals 
• The crowd booed her after she came close to hitting the ball kid in the head
• Swiatek has endured a challenging time on and off the court during the past year

World number two Iga Swiatek has broken her silence after making headlines for smashing a tennis ball at a ball kid in her Indian Wells semi-final.

The tennis star lost her temper as she was blown out of the tournament by Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva, beating the defending champion 7-6 1-6 6-3 to reach the Indian Wells final for the first time.

In the midst of a difficult outing for Swiatek, she was thrown the ball by the boy as she was on serve.

Swiatek responded by smashing the ball back into the ground towards the kid, with it just evading him as it bounced into the crowd.

The ball kid flinched as the ball rocketed towards him but didn't react more than that, continuing to signal that he was available to provide a ball. The smash elicited a hostile reaction from those in attendance, who booed the Polish player.

Swiatek could not redeem herself on the court but she took to social media to explain her actions in a lengthy statement on Monday. In it, she admitted she was not proud of her 'expression of frustration' but was nevertheless stunned by the reaction to gesture she claims has been exhibited by countless players. 

'One of my favorite tournaments of the year is behind me, she wrote in Instagram. 'I'm slowly moving in the direction I want and leaving here with solid work done, many good memories, and some valuable lessons.

'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.

'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.

'I've seen many players bounce balls in frustration, and frankly, 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.'

After the incident, Eurosport expert Tomasz Wolfke has now claimed, via SuperExpress, that her recent struggles may be related to her lifestyle off the court.

'She doesn't know real life,' he said. 'I don't remember anyone seeing her at a disco, all dressed up, having fun with friends.'

However, Swiatek highlighted the effect of the positive doping test on her mental state and detailed how it has shaped her approach to recent tournaments. The Pole was handed a one-month suspension in November after a positive test for the angina medication trimetazidine, which the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted was caused by contamination of a medicine Swiatek was taking to help combat jet lag.

'Secondly, regarding emotional expression,' she continued. '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. 

'This forced me to rearrange certain things within myself. In Australia, after weaker performances in previous years, I played without expectations, focused solely on my work, accepting that another Australian Open might not go my way regardless of my efforts. Thanks to this mindset, I performed very well and was close to reaching the final.

'In the Middle East, however, it struck me hard that my positive test result case, missing two highly-ranked tournaments in October, and last year's exceptional results (winning four 1000-level tournaments and a Grand Slam in the first half of the season) will keep affecting my ranking and basically take away my chance for no 1. This realization deeply upset me. You could see this on the court in Dubai.

I know that playing while stuck in past frustrations, over things beyond my control, isn't the right path. My team and I recognized this issue almost immediately (with their experience, probably faster than anyone could imagine), but shifting perspective takes significant time, effort, and team support.'

The WTA rankings were updated on Monday, with Swiatek still number two but significantly lower than Aryna Sabalenka, who has 9,606 points.

She has endured a challenging time on the court and lost all five of her semi-final appearances since triumphing in the French Open in June 2024.

Tennis legend Boris Becker also commented on Swiatek's behaviour during the disappointing semi-final.

'Iga got little angry…' he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

'Working on oneself isn't something you achieve once and keep forever,' she added. 'Sometimes we take two steps forward and one step back. I'm facing new elements of this puzzle all the time: circumstances change, my experiences evolve, I evolve, opponents evolve, and I must constantly adapt. It's never easy, and it's particularly challenging for me right now. 

'Sport is not played by robots. I've had three incredible seasons, but nothing comes effortlessly, and there's no guarantee results will always be easy or under control. That's life, and that's sport. Sometimes even I forget that.

'Secondly, constant judgment. 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. 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.

'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. 

'I strive to bring joy to fans watching my matches and to inspire kids by setting a positive example. I work hard on myself and set ambitious goals-perhaps sometimes too ambitious. But I truly believe that even if I occasionally take two steps forward and one step back, I'll reach these goals at my own pace. See you in Miami.'

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2025-03-17T22:21:32Z