Tennis courts and controversies often go hand in hand, and the ongoing Wuhan Open is proving to be no exception. This time, it’s Aryna Sabalenka who’s found herself at the heart of a swirling debate. The Belarusian sensation stirred quite the reaction during her semi-final clash against Coco Gauff, and not for her on-court performance alone. Sabalenka’s gestures during the match didn’t sit well with many fans, sparking an outpouring of reactions, particularly from Iga Swiatek’s supporters.

Sabalenka ousted Gauff in a thrilling three-setter match in the semi-finals and is gearing up to face Qinwen Zheng to win her third title. But amidst the challenges on the court, Sabalenka is facing accusations of rude gestures against the ball kid at the tournament. The Belarusian star was seen growing impatient at the ball kid, which seemed to draw fiery reactions from her. 

The Belarusian star was unhappy when a Ball Kid took longer than expected to bring her the balls during a crucial game in the decisive 3rd set. She hurried the kid, waving her hands to speed things up before looking away in frustration. However, it did not go well with the fans, who took to social media to take digs at her. Taking to X, one user shared a video clip of the incident and wrote, “Very rude behavior from Sabalenka towards the ball kids. She got booed for it and deservedly, so waiting to see if the tennis media will pick it up or not.” This quickly drew the attention of several fans across the globe. 

As soon as the post gained traction, several supporters of Iga Swiatek also joined the fray in the comment section to compare Sabalenka’s behavior with that of the Polish star. They also accused that critics would not have remained silent if the gestures came from Swiatek.

Iga Swiatek fans lash out at Aryna Sabalenka

Taking to X, one user wrote, “If Iga did that they would all crucify her! Now people like @josemorgado or @BastienFachan sit quiet but when iga goes to toilet (like coco, saba etc etc.) they are first to complain about it. PATHETIC.” The World No. 1 player has often received flak for her extended toilet breaks and gestures on the court. One such backlash came from American pro-Coco Vandeweghe after the Pole’s match against Mirra Andreeva during the Cincinnati Masters. 

She lashed out at the star player and said, “Iga’s tactic of going to the bathroom, changing her kit, taking her time, ALWAYS after losing a set, If I was still playing, I would definitely be very aware of it… she’s trying to disrupt my rhythm…” She is also accused of raising her arm in the air during her opponent’s serve to break their momentum. However, Swiatek has often come out to defend this and has called it a reflex action during stress. More such reactions continued to follow.

Responding to the post, another user wrote, “People don’t like Iga. This isn’t that complicated.” Swiatek has not just received criticism for her on-court gestures but also for her playing style. Discussing her split with her former coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, a Polish tennis expert hinted that Swiatek’s playing style lacks variations. In an interview with Super Express, Tomasz Wolfke said, “Recently, there have been reservations about Iga’s playing style. I even always said in an open text that her tennis is too one-dimensional.” Similar reactions continued to follow from more users. 

“That’s disgusting behavior. I always thought different of her. I’m appalled,” wrote another user slamming the Belarusian star. Interestingly, Aryna Sabalenka has often been witnessed spending some adorable moments with kids on the court. A similar incident took place at the US Open this year, where Sabalenak was seen picking a little kid out of the crowd after noticing she was dressed in the exact same Nike dress as her. The child even had a massive tattoo on the inside of her arm, just like the athlete. Sabalenka seemed to be in awe of the admiration and took several pictures with the kid. 

Another user lashed out at Swiatek’s critics and wrote, “It’s a waste of words and energy for those who throw venom.” Swiatek has often received criticism for multiple reasons, including her take on the WTA schedule. Elena Rybakina’s ex-coach Andrei Chesnokov also harshly criticized the star player, calling her the only player he dislikes. Earlier, Yevgeny Kafelnikov took offense at Swiatek’s complaint of too many tournaments and said that she deserves “to get paid a lot less.”

Yet another user joined the fray to criticize Sabalenka and rally behind Swiatek and wrote, “No Sabalenka, no disappoint me like this.” As the tournament progresses, it would be interesting to see if Aryna Sabalenka can continue to face such flak or remains stoic to focus on the title victory at the Wuhan Open.