Tennis fans are expressing anger towards Iga Swiatek after she hit a ball in the direction of a ball kid during her semi-final match at Indian Wells against Mirra Andreeva, which resulted in her loss.
The world number two tennis player showed clear frustration as she was defeated by Andreeva at the prestigious Indian Wells tournament.
As Swiatek was preparing to serve, a ball kid tossed her a ball. She then hit the ball forcefully into the ground, and it went close to the ball kid before landing in the spectator area.
The ball kid reacted with a flinch, but proceeded to offer another ball.
He showed no reaction as Swiatek seemed to express frustration towards him with a shrug. Earlier in the match, Swiatek had complained to the umpire that the ball kids were moving excessively during play.
Swiatek struggled during the match and was defeated with scores of 7-6, 1-6, 6-3.
Spectators at the match booed Swiatek after her outburst, and she has received significant criticism on social media platforms.
Swiatek has not publicly addressed the incident. However, recent comments on her latest Instagram post, which read “Moving on” after her victory against Dayana Yastremska, are filled with calls for an apology.
One disappointed fan commented on X, stating: “Poor sportsmanship and dangerous play. I've never witnessed such inappropriate behavior before.”
Another comment was more critical: “The spoiled attitude of some players continues to tarnish tennis – this time it was Iga Swiatek.”
A third comment read, “Swiatek deserved to lose, what a jerk. Terrible behavior.”
Some individuals even suggested that she should have been disqualified from the match.
This victory marks Andreeva`s second consecutive win against Swiatek, having also defeated her at the Dubai Open in the previous month.
Andreeva is now set to compete against world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
