Iga Swiatek Stirs Up Huge Controversy With Her ‘Appeal’ to the French Open Crowd as Tennis Community Erupts in Dissent

Iga Swiatek serves up a fiery rebuttal to the French Open crowd. Immediately following her incredible three-set triumph, the 22-year-old didn’t hesitate to reprimand the Roland Garros audience for making loud noises during pivotal moments. Swiatek’s appeal to the crowd has caused a huge controversy despite her well-intentioned actions, garnering criticism from former tennis player Pam Shriver and tennis fans.

Apparently, a former tennis player, Shriver took to her Twitter handle to share her disappointing takeover of the same, emphasizing that the pole might have created a problem for herself. She wrote, “Wow on that match. Swiatek with another great escape in a second round in back-to-back majors. Maybe Osaka will have a Collins-like run soon. Swiatek did not read the room well by scolding the crowd in her post-match interview. Only crowd criticism should have been empty seats!”

On the other hand, the game was an absolute rollercoaster, lasting nearly three hours. Swiatek’s hopes of winning a fourth Roland-Garros title in five years remain alive after this victory. In a thrilling second-round encounter, Swiatek defeated four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka 7-6 (1), 1-6, 7-5. The victory brightened an otherwise dismal day that saw 23 singles matches postponed till Thursday.

Naomi Osaka was one point away from defeating world No. 1. However, the final point is frequently the most difficult. In two hours and fifty-seven minutes, the 22-year-old Swiatek snatched the triumph at Court Philippe Chatrier. After the match, she directly approached the fans stressing the value of concentration throughout play.

She said, “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.”

Swiatek underlined the gravity of the game itself and the difficulties that players encounter in her address. She said, “But this is serious for us, we are fighting our whole lives to be better and better, and sometimes it’s hard to accept that because the stakes are big and there is a lot of money here to win, so losing a few points may change a lot.”

Even though, the world’s number one ranked tennis player’s comments brought the behavior of Roland Garros fans under scrutiny, other popular personalities and even tennis fans were not happy with the way, brought the topic into consideration.

The tennis community is not happy with Iga Swiatek’s humble plea 

A query was posed about a statement made by the four-time Grand Slam champion while addressing the audience on a tennis-related Twitter channel. The question that was asked was, “Thoughts on @iga_swiatek telling the @rolandgarros crowd to be quiet and show some respect because she’s playing for a lot of money?”

Further, a fan also shared how the French Open crowd reacted to the Polish tennis player’s controversial take: “Good for Iga telling the French crowd off. They’re appalling.” On the other hand, another one talked about the reason behind the same, “Iga post-match gave the crowd a baking for yelling during points, and made the point that she hopes the French crowd doesn’t boo her as they can for players they don’t like.” 

However, a Twitter user shared José Morgado’s interpretation of what the world’s number one said and specifically mentioned those parts that were missed pointing to the depth of the incident. “Lines he omitted while making this post, “I love you all” and, “I know you pay a lot of money to watch.”

Moreover, as the Polish player has stirred up a whole controversy with the French Open crowd, it will be interesting to see how the crowd treats her in further matches. What are your thoughts on Swiatek openly addressing the crowd? Do let us know in the comment section below.