French Open: Paula Badosa Denounces Iga Swiatek but Immediately Retracts as Controversial Remark Divides Tennis World

Yesterday saw one of the most thrilling matches in women’s tennis this year. World Number 1, Iga Swiatek, survived a scare to defeat 4-time Grand Slam champion, Naomi Osaka, in three sets. A match-point down, Swiatek held her nerves to prevail over her Japanese opponent. Subsequently, during an interview, Swiatek raised the issue of noisy crowds at her matches. However, Swiatek’s complaint didn’t go down well with Paula Badosa.

Owing to a fall in her ranking, Badosa has had to play on outside courts at the ongoing French Open. The decibel level is higher there as the noise of adjacent courts also gets added. Badosa raised this point while slamming Swiatek for complaining about the fans.

Badosa revealed, “I think she cannot complain, because I played Court 8 and 9 and you can hear everything. Like, I can hear Suzanne Lenglen, Philippe Chatrier, Court 6, 7 during the points. I think she’s very lucky she can play all the time on Philippe Chatrier and she’s okay with that.”

Further, she went on to add, “But I don’t mind. As I said, I played in small courts these days, and I was hearing so much noise. In that moment, I’m just focussed on myself and on my match that it doesn’t really bother me.”

However, Badosa was quick to clarify her statement, saying, “Hey guys relax! We all know she is the best player in the world and she has to play on the biggest court always because she deserves that the most. I just said there’s much more noise playing outside. Calm down guyssssssss jezzzzzzzzz!”

While the nerves from her victory over Osaka hadn’t settled down, Swiatek stirred up a controversy by complaining about noise from the stands during her matches.

What did Iga Swiatek say about the French crowd?

Putting on fantastic performances match after match, Swiatek’s encounters often boast of a packed stadium where thousands of fans come to witness the spectacle. As a result, the decibel level goes up during eye-catching moments, sometimes even during points. This was a common feature during Swiatek’s match against Osaka and the Polish star was quick to point this out.

She revealed, “I’m sorry to even bring this [up]. I have huge respect for you guys [the fans] and I know that we are basically playing for you because this is entertainment and we’re also earning money because of you. But sometimes under a lot of pressure, when you scream something during the rally or right before the return, it’s really hard to be focused.”

While Swiatek’s complaint about the crowd has gone viral on social media, inviting reactions from across the tennis world, she would look to stay focused after a hard-fought win. She will next face the winner of the match between Marie Bouzkova and Jana Fett in the third round.