"Damage is unbelievable, lot of people lost everything" - Iga Swiatek urges fans to donate money amid devastating floods in Poland
Iga Swiatek has urged her fans to raise funds to help those affected by the devastating floods in Poland. The floods were a direct consequence of Storm Boris, a windstorm that has ravaged Central Europe.
Poland is among several Central European nations that have had to contend with the aftereffects of the windstorm, with Austria, the Czech Republic and Romania being some of the nations in its vicinity to have felt its impact as well. The city of Nysa in Poland's Southwest is one of the worst-hit places in the country. The city's Mayor urged all 44,000 of its inhabitants to leave for safety's sake.
In light of these developments, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek took to social media and called on her fans to provide as much financial aid as possible via the Polish Red Cross to help the flood-stricken people of her home country. The five-time Major winner shared a link on her Instagram Story, where donations can be made. Swiatek's post also featured a caption:
"Dear fans, there is a huge flood happening in Poland and the situation is very difficult. If you would like to support, there is an emergency flood relief fundraiser organized by the Polish Red Cross. People that are not from Poland can use this link to join to raise money," Swiatek wrote on her Instagram Story.
"Damage is unbelievable. A lot of people lost everything and there are massive funds needed to help them. Thank you for every gesture of support," Swiatek added.
On the tennis front, Swiatek is currently taking a brief break after her disappointing campaign at the 2024 US Open.
Iga Swiatek endured a dismal end to her US Open 2024 campaign
Iga Swiatek was the top seed at the 2024 US Open and was unsurprisingly one of the favorites to win the hardcourt Major. The Pole was in dominant form across the first four rounds, as none of her opponents were able to take even a set off of her.
However, all that changed in the quarterfinals, as she locked horns against home favorite Jessica Pegula. Swiatek, despite going into the contest with a 6-3 head-to-head lead over the American, failed to produce her best, allowing Pegula to run riot.
Ultimately, Swiatek's hopes of winning a second US Open title were dashed as she fell to a shock 2-6, 4-6 loss to Pegula, who eventually finished the tournament as the runner-up. Despite the underwhelming end to her Flushing Meadows campaign, Swiatek managed to hold on to her World No. 1 ranking on the WTA Tour.
The Pole is yet to confirm where she will play next. Recently, her name featured prominently on the entry list for the 2024 Wuhan Open, a tournament that is making its comeback after a five-year absence. The WTA 1000 event is slated to take place from Monday, October 7 to Sunday, October 13.