Danielle Collins criticizes Iga Swiatek's sportsmanship after injury retirement in Paris Olympics 2024 QF: Did the American go too far?
Danielle Collins, the 30-year-old American tennis player, is playing in what is going to be her last season in professional tennis. Iga Swiatek beat her 6-1, 2-6, 4-1 in their quarterfinal at the Paris Olympics last Wednesday, July 31 as the latter withdrew owing to dehydration and cramps.
Prior to that, one of Collins' shots hit Swiatek in the midsection, causing her to lie down on the court momentarily. The bad blood between the two originated from that and was aggravated by the lengthy exchange of words between the two players at the net after Collins' withdrawal.
What did Danielle Collins do after the match was over?
Collins had a long speech ready for Swiatek when the two players shook hands at the net. She later said to the media in that regard:
"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."
These are strong words from a tennis player for a fellow professional and quite uncalled for.
Is the American's behavior justified?
Collins had a bust-up with Maria Sakkari in the past too, which underlines the fact that she could be difficult in her interpersonal dealings at times. Her behavior towards Swiatek might have stemmed from her frustration because of her physical discomfort.
However, that in no way legalizes her conduct, which was quite unprofessional. It has become fashionable of late to speak one's mind in the name of being candid in front of the media. One can refer to Frances Tiafoe's post-match comments at Wimbledon, when he termed a few of his fellow professionals as "clowns", which caused a lot of furore on social media.
This is certainly not a healthy trend for the sport and might cause the mutual respect between the players to be diluted. Swiatek has chosen to be discreet in this matter. Had she decided to add to the controversy by saying harsh words herself, it would have caused an uglier scene.
The WTA (or the ATP, as the case might be) should be ready to intervene to avoid such unnecessary drama that brings a bad name to the sport and shifts people's focus to the wrong areas.