Even Iga Swiatek can be defeated on clay. Her loss at the hands of a lower-ranked player, against whom she had a perfect winning record, has shocked everyone. The player has claimed 4 Grand Slams in Paris, the latest one being just two months ago. This defeat would sting more than any other, not just for the tennis fans who considered her a favorite to win, but also for the Pole tennis player. The court which could have given her the first Olympic crown led to the heartbreaking exit. And this was visible from Swiatek’s conduct when she realized that her campaign had ended. But tennis fans didn’t take the slip-ups lightly!

The moment Swiatek returned the ball out of bounds to Qinwen Zheng, it was game over. A would-be fairy tale turned into a nightmare. As she went on to consult her last shot with the umpire, and further requested to watch the replay, Zheng celebrated heartily on the court, before coming to the net to shake hands with the World No.1. And she waited for a moment as Swiatek was ahead of her, for a customary handshake with the Umpire. To everyone’s surprise, Swiatek left the court without showing gratitude to the umpire. And this moment led to the whole saga. Tennis fans won’t stand for this even if the reason is heartbreak.

A tennis fan shared the ending moments of celebration and heartbreak, which led to fans disappointment with the following caption:

The loss of Paris was too heavy to bear for Swiatek. Despite trying to control her emotions, the Pole broke down during her interview after the loss. But instead of sympathy and consoling, what followed this was the barrage of tennis fans showing their disappointment as they headed to X in hopes of reaching the World No.1 with their words.

After Paris Olympics disaster, Iga Swiatek faces the burnt of tennis fans as she mourns

It wasn’t the 2nd set that put her on the path to lose. It was crystal clear from the first set itself that Zheng dominated the Pole, which isn’t an easy task on the clay court. And what could be worse than being unable to find your rhythm in the qualifier to the finals? Maybe losing the 4-0 lead in the 2nd set and further losing the set. It might be termed as the greatest comeback at the Paris Olympics. And when Swiatek was seen discussing the last shot, it sealed her deal away from the finals. Tennis fans had just one thing to say, “Not the match being over and she still complaining 😭.”

Moreover, in the video shared tennis fans didn’t see the losing point or Zheng’s celebration. All the gazes were locked on to the moment when Swiatek and the umpire were involved in a discussion. As they said, “It’s Iga begging the umpire to replay the point skskks.”

However, the saga had just begun! What followed further was opening the lid of a can full of worms when Swiatek’s emotions got the better of her. The umpire accommodated her request as she put all the means available to satisfy Swiatek’s curiosity about her last point. Maybe to avoid another Coco Gauff-type controversy to mark the climax of the tournament.

Wins and losses are two sides of the same coin. Even Rafael Nadal lost on the Clay court multiple times in 23 years. However, the Spaniard was certainly grateful for wins, but he was exceptionally graceful in the defeats too. While tennis fans see Swiatek as the female version of Nadal, owing to her success on the clay. They certainly expected her to pick some page from Nadal’s diary. As they said, “Not shaking the umpire’s hand is crazy what a sore loser she is…”

Despite her efforts, the Umpire was deprived of the customary handshake. And fans didn’t take this slip up lightly, as they said, “So she didn’t shake the umpire’s hand because she didn’t overrule her call?” 

Some heartbreaks take a lot of time to heal. When they are experienced at the greatest stage of the sport, the healing would require more effort than winning. Emotions also run high, and hence Swiatek’s moment of lapse might not be appreciated. As at the end of her strong campaign in Paris, which might not be a medal-less one at the end. All tennis fans might remember is the fact that, “Naur, she really didn’t shake the umpire’s hand??”

Maybe her next clay court campaign will go better. In the meanwhile, Qinwen Zheng fights on for her country!