5 biggest controversies of 2024 ft. Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner's doping scandals, Rafael Nadal's farewell ceremony
The tennis season is quite long, and with the tour going on for nearly 11 months, there's bound to be a mishap or two. Players usually get along with each other, and are at least cordial with their peers, if not the best of friends.
However, in a high-stress environment like tennis, and with differing personalities of so many players, tempers are likely to flare, leading to conflict. At times, it is the players' actions that land them in trouble.
This year had plenty of off-court drama right from the start of the season. On that note, here's a look at the five biggest controversies to hit the world of tennis in 2024:
#5 - Paula Badosa lands in hot waters with her actions in China
Badosa stirred up a controversy during the Asian swing. Shortly after the conclusion of the China Open, her trainer Pol Toledo posted a series of pictures from her time in Beijing. The Spaniard was seen putting chopsticks around her eyes to imitate the features of Southeast Asians in one of the pictures, which didn't go down too well with the general populace.
Badosa was accused of being racist, something which she vehemently denied. She posted an apology, which was deemed as insincere, and then was involved in a back-and-forth with fans online. The matter dragged on for a while and was eventually put to rest.
#4 - Nick Kyrgios' derogatory remark against Anna Kalinskaya kicks up a storm
Kyrgios is often known for running his mouth, and at times crosses a line as well. His behavior got him in trouble during this year's US Open. Ahead of the final between Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz, he made a poll on X regarding who would win the title.
One fan posted a picture of Kyrgios with Kalinskaya, who he dated in the past, and was now in a relationship with Sinner. In an apparent slight at the Russian, he responded with a rather crude comment.
"Second serve," - Kyrgios on X.
Kyrgios' comment kicked up quite a storm, and fans were calling for him to be sacked from ESPN, for whom he was commentating. He received a lot of flak for it, and it wasn't the first time he said something derogatory about a female tennis player, with him passing a crude remark about Donna Vekic in 2015.
#3 - Danielle Collins and Emma Navarro start a feud with Iga Swiatek and Zheng Qinwen at the Olympics
The Olympics were hosted in Paris this year, and the city of love had its fair share of drama this time. It started with Navarro having some strong words to say about Zheng, who beat her during their third-round duel.
"I just told her I didn't respect her as a competitor. I think she goes about things in a pretty cut-throat way. It makes for a locker room that doesn't have a lot of camaraderie, so it's tough to face an opponent like that, who I really don't respect," Emma Navarro on Zheng Qinwen.
Zheng, on her part, felt that if Navarro had any issues with her, she should've directly addressed it to her beforehand as well.
"She told me she doesn't know how I have a lot of fans. It looks like she's not happy with my behavior towards her. If she's not happy about my behavior, she can come and tell me. I would like to correct it to become a better player and a better person. I'm glad that she told me that. I will not consider it an attack because she lost the match," Zheng Qinwen said.
Their war of words was soon overshadowed by Collins and Swiatek. Their quarterfinal showdown came to an abrupt end after the American had to retire in the third set. When the two met at the net, she gave her younger rival a piece of her mind and elaborated on it later on.
"I told Iga she didn't have to be insincere about my injury... There's a lot that happens on camera, and there are a lot of people with a ton of charisma and come out and are one way on camera and another way in the locker room. They can be the way that they are, I can accept that, and I don't need the fakeness," - Danielle Collins on Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek, meanwhile, was caught off guard by Collins. She felt that she never did anything to cross her opponent, and was quite shocked by the American's antics.
"Well, I won't argue about it, because I've never done anything nasty to her. I rather wanted to congratulate her on her successful career, because we all know that this is her last year on tour, Honestly, I don't know what she meant, because we didn't even have any interactions that could have caused her to say that to me," - Iga Swiatek on Danielle Collins.
Collins later stated that the whole thing was blown out of proportion, and a similar incident on the men's tour would not have garnered so much negative attention. However, the two have not resolved the matter since they don't move in the same circles as per the American.
#2 - Rafael Nadal's farewell ceremony slammed for not meeting expectations
Nadal's glittering career came to an end at the Davis Cup Finals. Representing Spain, he lost his singles match against Botic van de Zandschulp. Carlos Alcaraz kept them in contention with his singles win. However, the Spaniards lost the doubles tie, and they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
With Roger Federer's farewell ceremony from 2022 fresh in everyone's minds, fans were expecting a similar send-off for Nadal. Unfortunately, the ceremony turned out to be far from perfect.
Surrounded by his family and friends, with a packed crowd at the Martin Carpena Arena, a tribute video recapping his career and a heartfelt speech was the crux of Nadal's farewell. However, fans expected more given his status as a legend of the sport. His coach, Carlos Moya, wasn't too pleased with it either.
"It's not the time to blame anyone... But the feeling we're all left with is a bit scruffy and shabby... It's true that it's a Tuesday night, but this is sport, and it was known months in advance that if Spain lost, Rafa would retire. Nadal is far above all this," - Carlos Moya on Rafael Nadal's farewell ceremony.
One reason for the underwhelming ceremony could be Spain's earlier-than-anticipated exit. Many expected them to win against the Netherlands, so the organizers were probably caught off guard when they lost, leading to an ill-planned ceremony.
#1 - Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner's doping scandals rock the tennis world
Sinner and Swiatek, two of the sport's most well-known and successful players, were mired in the biggest controversy of the season. Both tested positive for a banned substance, though they were let off by the authorities after a successful appeal.
Sinner was the first to be caught in the net. It was revealed in August that he had tested positive for clostebol in March during the Indian Wells Masters. His defense was that his physio used a spray to treat a cut on his finger, which had the banned substance and later gave him a massage without his gloves on, because of which it entered his body.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) stated that Sinner "bore no fault or negligence", though he was docked the prize money and ranking points gained during the tournament.
The ITIA recently announced that Swiatek would serve a month-long ban for testing positive for trimetazidine. She failed an out-of-competition test in August, which kicked off an investigation. The Pole stated that she took melatonin, to deal with jet lag and stress, and it was contaminated with it.
Swiatek's claims were backed up with a thorough investigation, though she didn't get off completely scot-free. With the two being on the top of their games, their positive tests, even if accidental, shook the world.