Iga Swiatek is a dreaded opponent, let alone on the clay courts. Ask Danielle Collins, who was involved in a pulsating encounter minutes ago against the reigning French Open champion. While the American threw it all on the court, she had to retire midway through the third set owing to an injury. However, before retiring, Collins played her fair share of mind games against the Polish star.

Early in the third set, the two played a thrilling rally and Swiatek was taken off-guard by a high-pace return from Collins when she was at the net. Subsequently, the Pole slowed things down after which Collins went 0-3 down in the final set. The American then took a lengthy time out to further delay the match and at this stage, the fans weren’t happy with the two players playing mind games.

Nonetheless, with Collins withdrawing in the third set, Swiatek is now in the medal rounds of the Paris Olympic Games. She is just a step away from confirming a podium finish, something which she’s always dreamt of.

While Grand Slam success has come thick and fast for Swiatek, she has yet to win an Olympic medal. In the previous edition in Tokyo, she lost in the second round against Paula Badosa. However, in Paris, she is as determined as ever to make it big and fulfill her childhood dream.

During an interview, Swiatek once said, “I always dreamed of the Olympics because of my father. I know it’s not the same for other tennis players, but for me, it’s really something special. I will fight for a medal. The Olympics were always important for me because my dad was an Olympian in Seoul. We were raised knowing that the Olympics are the biggest sporting event. There’s gonna be a lot of pressure, especially after my win in a Grand Slam.”

The world no. 1 will next face Qinwen Zheng in the semifinals. A win against her Chinese opponent will guarantee Swiatek an Olympic medal, but it’ll be interesting to see if the reigning French Open champion can repeat her feat at the Paris Olympics and clinch the Gold.

Meanwhile, the fans weren’t very happy with either Swaitek or Collins because of the lengthy breaks in their quarter-final match.

Fans highlight the mind games played by Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins

One of the fans on X felt that Collins played in Iga Swiatek’s favor by resorting to mind games. The comment read, “Danielle doing everything she can to make Iga mad and all it’s done is get her down two breaks lol.” Further, another fan compared Collins to Karen Khachanov, saying, “Collins always complaining, a typical Karen.”

After Collins returned from the lengthy timeout, the mind games weren’t done. Swiatek then slowed things down even further and one of the fans criticized her, saying, “But when Collins came back, Iga sat down for a moment, calmly greased her hands, and again the American had to wait. Mindgames at full speed.” 

Nonetheless, Swiatek was too dominant in the final set as the mind games didn’t seem to affect her. One of the X users had an important piece of advice for Collins, saying, “Mrs. Collins has just learned an important lesson that you shouldn’t piss off Iga.” Lastly, one of the fans felt that Collins tried to return tactics to Swiatek after she slowed things down. “Collins increasingly frustrated with Swiatek’s delay of play – Iga has slowed the match considerably,” wrote the fan.

What’s your take on the mind games played by the two players in this controversial match? Share your thoughts in the comments below.