Iga Swiatek‘s dominant run came to a halt this week after facing an unexpected setback against American talent Emma Navarro. Her joyous feeling of winning a maiden Korea Open title vanished in no time after she failed to replicate the same form in Beijing. The six-time slam queen lost to Navarro in an intense three-set encounter. While the pain of exit tugged at her, it is nothing compared to what she has been experiencing off the court, on social media, in the aftermath of her defeat.
The 24-year-old shared an Instagram story just a day after her loss to Navarro. The latter bested her with a scoreline of 6-4, 4-6, 6-0. With that, she advanced to the QF stage at the China Open. Meanwhile, Swiatek was left in shambles over how her “fans” had been rude and disrespectful in light of her recent defeat against the American WTA star. Especially those involved in betting. It appears many of them had predicted that Swiatek would clinch the trophy in Beijing. But her defeat had brought on unprecedented loss. Reflecting on these circumstances, Swiatek wrote, “Nowadays, this is a sad part of our reality in sports. Bots. Betting. But also ‘fans’”.
“Mediocre player” wrote one person, while another called her performance against Navarro “Very pathetic.” There was another fan who was upset with the WTA star, that they questioned her tennis prowess altogether. “You have no discipline, no talent, no ability to make adjustments, no room to play a different style, no mental strength…it’s honestly shocking.” Even after six major titles, the internet can be a mean place.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Swiatek, however, wasn’t ready to take such comments lying down. Calling this behavior out, she noted how people these days are devoid of empathy. “It is worth considering, especially since World Mental Health Day is just a few days away.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad