It was an evening Iga Swiatek would likely want to forget. In a surprising twist at the United Cup, the former World No. 1 fell to her American counterpart Coco Gauff in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. The defeat in the tournament’s final was already a tough pill to swallow, but the drama didn’t end there. Enter Nick Kyrgios, also known as the tennis ‘Bad Boy’, who—true to his reputation—didn’t hold back from taking a jab at the Polish star.

The Polish tennis sensation found herself in emotional moments after losing to Gauff. Swiatek was seen in tears and the reason is quite understandable. After all, it was only for the third time in 14 engagements that she lost to Gauff and this time, the stakes were quite high. But what followed after the match was rather surprising. As Swiatek left the court, she was seen with a notebook in her hand. 

For anyone following the Polish star, it is known that she uses the notebook for planning and formulating her strategies. “I just write my tactics there and also some keywords that I want to remember when I sometimes struggle,” she said in May this year. However, an X user expressed their surprise over the Polish star carrying her notebook in the United Cup finals, and wrote, “One of the scariest sights in tennis: Iga Swiatek leaving the court after losing a set with her Roland-Garros notebook in hand.” This quickly gained enough traction and soon, Kyrgios dished his take on it. 

Commenting on the post, the controversial Aussie player wrote, “And with all the other help 😅.” While he did not specify the “other help” his remarks can be seen as a veiled jibe over Swiatek’s doping saga, about which Kyrgios has been quite critical. Remember, Swiatek tested positive for low levels of Trimetazidine also known as TMZ, in an out-of-competition sample in August 2024 and the case came to light only in November.

The Pole explained to the investigative agency that the positive results were due to the contamination of one of her medications, melatonin, which resulted in the charges against her being dropped. However, Kyrgios ignited the matter time and again.

When Swiatek’s case came into the picture, Nick Kyrgios commented, “Our Sport is cooked.” In another comment, he wrote, “The excuse that we can all use is that we didn’t know. Simply didn’t know. Professionals at the highest level of sport can now just say “we didn’t know.” However, amid all the criticism, Swiatek has continued to remain stoic showing true resilience. 

Top Comment by Bogk

Kyrgios just show what you can do instead criticizing.

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When Iga Swiatek responded to facing criticisms over doping saga

Iga Swiatek has not just amassed skills from the tennis courts, but also immense resilience. This was very well witnessed when she faced immense criticism from several people in the tennis community from the likes of Nick Kyrgios and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who although indirectly, went on to demand stringent action, such as a ban, on her. However, the Polish sensation did not respond harshly and remained stoic in her comment. 

Speaking about her doping saga and the criticisms she faced, Swiatek dished out an honest take ahead of her United Cup campaign in Sydney. “The reaction in Poland basically – because this is mostly what I read – has been pretty supportive. After the information about my case was released, I was scared that most people are going to turn their back on me but I felt the support and it’s great,” she said. Continuing further, Swiatek also responded to those who questioned her integrity.

 “Obviously, there are going to be some negative comments and you’re not going to avoid that,‘ she said. “That’s something that is always going to follow us no matter what happens,” Swiatek added. Now, as she gears up for yet another Grand Slam at the Australian Open, it would be interesting to see if Kyrgios continues his jibes or lets the dust settle.