Tennis enthusiasts are expressing outrage towards Iga Swiatek after she struck a ball in the direction of a ball kid during her defeat by Mirra Andreeva at Indian Wells.
The world number two displayed clear frustration as this loss eliminated her from the prestigious Indian Wells tournament, a key event outside of the major championships in the tennis season.
As the five-time major champion and current Indian Wells titleholder prepared to serve, a ball kid provided her with a ball.
Swiatek then aggressively hit the ball into the court surface, narrowly missing the ball kid before it went into the spectator area.
The ball kid showed a visible flinch but continued to offer another ball.
He remained composed even as Swiatek appeared to express her frustration with a dismissive shrug. Earlier in the match, Swiatek had complained to the chair umpire about ball kids moving excessively during play.
Swiatek struggled throughout the match, eventually losing with scores of 7-6, 1-6, 6-3.
Spectators at the event booed Swiatek following her outburst, and she has received substantial criticism across social media platforms.
Swiatek has not addressed the incident publicly. However, recent comments on her latest Instagram post, uploaded after her victory in the Round of 32 against Dayana Yastremska with the caption “Moving on,” are filled with calls for an apology.
One disappointed commenter on X stated: “Poor sportsmanship and dangerous play. I've never witnessed such unacceptable behavior.”
Another comment was even stronger: “The spoiled attitude displayed by some players continues to tarnish tennis – this time it was Iga Swiatek.”
A third comment read, “Swiatek deserved to lose after behaving like a jerk. Appalling conduct.”
Some individuals even suggested she should have been disqualified from the match due to her actions.
This victory marked Andreeva`s second successive win against Swiatek, having also defeated her at the Dubai Open the previous month.
Andreeva is now set to compete against world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final match.
