"I don't see why we should not talk about it; if my statements make things easier for young female tennis players, then it's worth it" - Iga Swiatek on breaking the taboo of talking about PMS
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek believes it is worth talking about PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) if it helps young girls coming through the ranks in the sport.
At the 2021 WTA finals, Swiatek suffered a straight-sets loss against Greece's Maria Sakkari in a group stage match. And in her press conference after that loss the Pole admitted she was going through PMS during the match, before adding that she wanted younger players to know it was a normal thing to go through.
"I worked pretty hard the past two days to understand a little bit more of why I felt so bad during the match against Maria," Swiatek had said. "I don't want to make excuses or something. It's pretty hard to talk about that because I know in sports it's not that often. But like PMS really hit me that day. I'm telling this for any young girl who doesn't know what's going on. Don't worry, it's normal."
While talking to Przeglad Sportowy earlier this week, Swiatek stated that if her remarks could help a young female tennis player, the taboo aspect of speaking about PMS doesn't matter.
"I did it spontaneously, I didn't think of breaking a taboo," Swiatek said. "Being true to yourself sometimes takes statements like this. Indeed, PMS or playing when you menstruate is not talked about much in sport, and it's an integral part of competing. So I don't see why we shouldn't talk about it. If my statements make things easier for young female tennis players, young girls playing the sport, then it's worth it."
Earlier this year at the French Open, Qinwen Zheng also spoke about dealing with menstrual cramps - ater a match against Swiatek herself.
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Iga Swiatek looking to go all the way at the US Open
With two Roland Garros titles already under her belt, Iga Swiatek will be determined to add the US Open title to her cabinet. She lost to Switzerland's Belinda Bencic in straight sets in her fourth round match at the New York Major last year.
I gave my everything yesterday. Warsaw thank you for your support and atmosphere.
🙌 I gave my everything yesterday. Warsaw thank you for your support and atmosphere.
🙌 Wczoraj dałam z siebie wszystko. Warszawo, dziękuję za doping i atmosferę na trybunach.
#workinprogress https://t.co/dQryM4SY5V
Swiatek recently reached the quarterfinals of the Poland Open, where she suffered a three-set loss against Caroline Garcia. She will next participate at the Canadian Open, with her second round match scheduled on Wednesday.
Swiatek will also play in Cincinnati before taking part in the last Major of the year.