Iga Świątek’s remarks following her loss to Anna Kalinskaya in the Dubai Tennis Championships semifinals have stirred controversy among tennis fans.
Kalinskaya’s impressive performance on Friday at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Centre caught Swiatek off guard, particularly her ability to save nine out of eleven break points that the Polish player created.
In contrast, the Russian managed to break Swiatek, who had remained undefeated in the tournament without dropping a set, four times, ultimately securing a 6-4, 6-4 victory in an hour and 42 minutes.
However, Swiatek’s post-match comments attributed the outcome more to her poor performance. “Today I would say, I mean she [Anna Kalinskaya] played well and for sure she deserves to be in the final, but I feel like it was more about me and my level.
I wanted to be focused on myself, and I wasn’t able to implement any tactics that I had,” she stated during a press conference.
These remarks from the World No. 1 left some tennis enthusiasts on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) unsettled. One fan expressed disappointment in Swiatek’s failure to acknowledge Kalinskaya’s efforts, writing, “Give your opponent credit, omg this lady hates women.”
