"Another horrible take" - Nick Kyrgios lashes out at tennis commentator for labeling Iga Swiatek 'not great for women's tennis'
Nick Kyrgios has come to Iga Swiatek's defense, refuting former player-turned-commentator Jimmy Arias' claims that the Pole isn't great for women's tennis.
Despite Swiatek being the current World No. 1, reigning French Open champion, and a four-time titlist this season, Arias has criticized her impact on women's tennis.
The American recently opined that Swiatek's habit of wearing her hat low during matches, which obscures her eyes and face, prevents the audience from connecting with the 22-year-old's personality.
“I don’t think she’s been great for women’s tennis because she wears her hat so low that you can’t even see her face or eyes during the match, so you don’t get a connection as much as you could… I want to see her personality," he said.
Nick Kyrgios took issue with Arias' comments, dismissing them as yet another "horrible take" from the former World No. 5.
"Another horrible take," Kyrgios tweeted with a laughing emoji.
@TheTennisLetter Another horrible take 😂
Kyrgios' remark about Arias' "another" bad take likely alluded to the American's recent criticism of him. After the Australian denounced tennis' hectic schedule and stated that it could potentially lead to his early retirement, Arias mocked Kyrgios' comments, pointing to how he rarely plays a full season of tennis.
“I don't know what he's talking about when he says this schedule is out of control. He's played one match this year. He seems to take every other year off, so he should be able to play for another 25 years,” he told the Tennis Channel.
"It's not easy to play in Warsaw, but I'm so happy that we could manage" - Iga Swiatek elated after winning her maiden title on home soil
On Sunday, Iga Swiatek claimed a resounding 6-0, 6-1 victory over Laura Siegemund in just 68 minutes to win the 2023 Poland Open, recording her first-ever title on home soil.
After previously opening up about the pressure of playing in front of her home crowd, the World No. 1 was elated to claim the title in Warsaw. She also expressed satisfaction with the level of her performance in the final.
"I want to thank my team and my family. It's not easy to play in Warsaw, but I'm so happy that we could manage and do everything we could today, after a pretty tiring day yesterday. I wanted to put it all in and go for it. I'm pretty happy that I did," she said in her post-match interview.
Iga Swiatek will be back in action at the WTA 1000 National Bank Open in Montreal, which is scheduled to commence on August 7. The World No. 1 will be hoping to improve on last year's performance when she was defeated by Beatriz Haddad Maia in the third round.