Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins stirred up a controversy in the middle of their quarter-final match in the Paris Olympics. The American star later retired mid-way through the third set, as she was trailing 1-4. While there is a lot of reasoning going around, regarding the whole match, Collins put forward her point of view after the match.

Many believe Iga Swiatek strategically slowed things down in the second set. Collins, thereafter, called a protracted timeout in the third set which initially seemed a retaliation to Swiatek’s act, but when she retired, it was confirmed that the American was indeed injured. However, while the drama was on, the fans were irritated as they felt that the mind games and disruptions detracted from the excitement of the game.

After the match, Collins was asked about the conversation that she had with the world number one just before retiring from the quarterfinal clash. “I told Iga she didn’t have to be insincere about, you know, my injury. There’s a lot that happens on camera, and there are a lot of people with a ton of charisma and come out and are one way on camera and another way in the locker room,” the 30-year-old said.

Further, she added, “And I just haven’t had the best experience, and I don’t really feel like anybody needs to be insincere. They can be the way that they are. I can accept that, and I don’t need the fakeness.” Collins, who was frustrated, suggested that Iga Swiatek’s actions and remarks minimized the severity of her injury and added drama to the already intense exchange.

After the two players won a set each, Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins were evenly matched; however, a mistake by Swiatek while playing a shot in the third set drastically changed the dynamics of the match. On the first point of the last set, Swiatek walked up to the net and hit a straight volley in Collins’ direction.

Following that, the American player answered with a passing blow that caught Swiatek in the stomach, giving the Pole a great deal of distress. The World No. 1 was seen clutching her stomach, clearly in pain.

Even though the competition was fierce, Collins went over to see how her opponent was doing. However, in the end, it was Collins who retired citing an injury. Looking into the chaotic match, Martina Navratilova came forward to talk about the breaks, that both the players took throughout the match.

Martina Navratilova’s sarcastic take on Danielle Collins-Iga Swiatek chaos 

The momentum of the match was disrupted during the second set when Iga Swiatek took a lengthy restroom break, setting off the drama. In response, Danielle Collins took a long break in the third set, which further soured things between the two players. Martina Navratilova took to her X account to talk about it.

“Guess how many times I went to the bathroom in my whole career in some 1700 matches?” Navratilova wrote in response to a post that was talking about the extended breaks in the match between Swiatek and Collins. The 67-year-old was probably suggesting that despite playing so many matches over her long career, she hardly ever needed such extended breaks.

Nevertheless, looking back at the post-match interview of Collins, it won’t be wrong to say that her comments added a significant layer of drama to an already intense match, marked by strategic delays, physical discomfort, and a heated exchange on the court. What are your thoughts on this intense clash? Do let us know in the comment section below.