Iga Swiatek speaks out after 'disgusting' act angers tennis world
Iga Swiatek has addressed the furore around a controversial act at the recent San Diego Open in which she appeared to intentionally distract opponent Donna Vekic during a point.
The World No.1 collected her eighth title of the year after beating Vekic 6-3 3-6 6-0 in the final.
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However the victory was somewhat overshadowed by Swiatek's actions during the second set when she threw her arms up during a rally in an apparent attempt to throw Vekic off.
Swiatek came in towards the net and raised her arms before Vekic was about to hit the ball, drawing the ire of tennis fans and commentators.
However during an interview on Wednesday, the Polish star claimed she didn't put her arms up intentionally and her actions were 'involuntary'.
"I can't control it, but I hope it will never happen again," she said.
"We are working on it. It is a stress reaction to what is happening. It is an involuntary reaction. I did it during the US Open, and as I recall it was a stressful moment. In San Diego, I did it unconsciously.
"Right after the game I approached Donna and apologised. She had no hard feelings, it turned out she didn't recall this at all.
"I hope fans will understand me as well. I'm aware of the many negative comments on the internet concerning this incident. I'm not proud of the fact, that sometimes I'm not in control of what I do on the court."
As Swiatek pointed out, she was involved in similar controversy at the US Open.
The World No.1 also threw her arms in the air when Lauren Davis was about to hit the ball during their third-round clash.
“I don’t know about that. I don’t think that’s legal…that is a little bit below the belt," John McEnroe said on Eurosport at the time.
Fans have been quick to condemn the controversial tactic, with some labelling it 'shameful' and 'disgusting'.
I'm a Swiatek fan, but throwing your arms up like that to distract your opponent is cheating. https://t.co/EJPWm201dp
— JeanClaudePanDemic (@TheLennoXFiles) October 17, 2022
I really don’t care what Iga fans think, this is clear and blatant hindrance and is extremely poor gamesmanship. I don’t wanna hear any “but it’s not in the rules” excuse, bc even if it’s not, it’s literally waving arms to distract the opponent so they miss. Like just play tennis https://t.co/MtBxfSAKPA
— VenusGauff’s Baker’s Dozen 🥯 (@VenusGauff) October 17, 2022
Why does Swiatek continue to wave her arms to mess up her opponent? Clearly a distraction and she should be defaulted.
— Raymon Burton (@RaymonBurton) September 4, 2022
Swiatek is the best in the world; there is no doubt. And oddly enough, one of the biggest cheats on tour. Disgusting.
— dk (@krk73) October 17, 2022
Iga Swiatek continues insane form in 2022
Swiatek pumped her fist and blew a kiss to the crowd after Vekic double faulted on match point to cap a third set where the Polish star raised her level and Vekic appeared to finally run out of gas.
"I wanted to go all in," Swiatek said of her approach going into the deciding set of the new WTA 500 event, held in one of California's surfing hotspots.
"Knowing how well she can serve, I just wanted to be more loosened up on my return games - not think too much, use my intuition and fight for every ball."
In the decider, Swiatek fired a cross-court winner to break for a 2-0 lead that shifted momentum firmly in her favour.
Swiatek, who rose to World No.1 in April following the retirement of Australia's Ash Barty, is now 64-8 on the season.
The 21-year-old won the US Open and French Open this year and will be the hot favourite when the WTA Finals kick off in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 31.
with AAP
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