A peculiar approach of Iga Swiatek on the tennis court has sparked criticism from fans who are perturbed by her unsportsmanlike conduct during important moments of a match. Her behavior often disturbs the conventional tempo set by the serving player and is seen as a tactic by many tennis fans to disturb the opponent’s serving rhythm.
Swiatek, whose peculiar habits are well-known, has prompted observations of her briefly pausing play, often indicating this by lifting her racquet. This action, observed by either her opponent or the umpire, results in a delay before the serve.
While not a consistent strategy, Swiatek employs this tactic strategically during matches, particularly during crucial moments like breakpoints or even match points.
Swiatek’s most underrated play on return games
by u/BelgianBond in tennis
A recent occurrence came to light at the Cincinnati Masters during her match against Marketa Vondrousova. Even though the server was ready to proceed, Swiatek’s prolonged interruption led the chair umpire to issue her a time violation. The conventional tennis protocol suggests that the returner should adapt to the serving player’s pace.
In the aftermath of this episode, Swiatek has found herself back in the crosshairs of social media criticism. Fans have been quite vocal online, expressing their disapproval of her tactics.
“She especially does it on the big points. She has had too many questionable sportsmanship antics to be given the benefit of the doubt. I’m glad an umpire finally called her out today.”
“I wish her fanboys would stop being in denial about her obvious gamesmanship and call it what it is”
“Once or twice, fine. But when it becomes a habit it rubs me the wrong way. You should play to the pace of the server”
Tennis followers are speculating that these gestures might be a strategic move to unnerve her opponents. Swiatek’s unconventional actions continue to raise eyebrows in the tennis community, leaving observers intrigued as to how she would address such issues that have come under public scrutiny.
Iga Swiatek plans a mini break before her US Open title defense
Iga Swiatek recently hit a roadblock at the 2023 Cincinnati Open, encountering a determined Coco Gauff. Swiatek, found herself on the receiving end of a surprising outcome, as Gauff clinched a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4 victory in the semi-finals of the Western & Southern Open this week. It was Swiatek’s first loss to Gauff in eight meetings.
Despite the unexpected loss, Swiatek took it in her stride and even saw a silver lining. Admitting that her energy levels were running low, she revealed her desire to take a well-deserved time off after her unexpected exit. Swiatek shared candidly, “..I would say my tank of fuel is pretty empty. Honestly, I’m not even going to kind of regret a lot because I’m happy that I’m going to have days off now.”
With this mini break from competitive play, Swiatek’s fans might have wondered how she plans to recharge and regroup herself. While Gauff’s impressive play halted her progress this time, Swiatek’s upcoming break promises to be a much-needed period of rejuvenation, a time to reset and refocus ahead of her title defense at the upcoming US Open.