"Iga Swiatek's more successful at 23 than you in your entire career": Fans slam Yevgeny Kafelnikov for claiming Pole 'deserves to get paid a lot less'
Iga Swiatek recently faced backlash from former World No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov for raising complaints about the demanding WTA tour schedule. However, fans rallied behind the World No. 1, hitting out at Kafelnikov for his controversial remarks about how much Swiatek deserves to be paid.
Swiatek kept her hopes of clinching the 2024 Cincinnati Open title alive with a narrow 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Mirra Andreeva. However, the post-match discourse revolved around the Pole airing her grievances with the "exhausting" tour schedule.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the five-time Grand Slam champion suggested that the increasing number of tournaments made tennis "less fun" for the players.
"It's not gonna end well as it's just it makes tennis less fun for us. Let's just say, I mean, obviously, I love playing all these places but it's pretty exhausting. I think most of the players could tell you that," Iga Swiatek said.
While acknowledging that she might receive "hate" for her perspective, the 23-year-old emphasized that players deserved more rest.
"We deserve to rest a little bit more obviously maybe. People are going to hate me for that because it sounded weird that I'm asking for rest. It doesn't make sense, but the truth is that you have got to keep up with the Tour," she added.
Iga Swiatek's comments were met with scorn by Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who argued that nobody was "pushing" the Pole into competing. The two-time Grand Slam champion also lambasted the 23-year-old for complaining and claimed that she "deserved to get paid a lot less."
"Is someone pushing you to play ??? All you fricking do is complain!! I’ll tell you what you deserve ! You deserve to get paid a lot less than you do now!! How about that??✌️😉," he posted on X.
The tennis community did not take kindly to Kafelnikov's remarks, with tennis writer Bastien Fachan joining fans in contending that the Russian's career achievements paled in comparison to what Swiatek has already accomplished at 23 years of age.
"She's way more successful at 23 than you were in your entire career, sit this one out champ," Fachan commented.
"She achieved more in one season than you did in your entire career 😂," a fan chimed in.
"How miserable is your life right now for u to tweet this?" said another.
Others, meanwhile, pointed out that the World No. 1 is indeed "pushed" into competing, as missing any of the mandatory WTA events would result in hefty fines.
"Yes, she is pushed. She receives fines if she doesn't participate to those tournaments," one fan remarked.
"There's this thing called mandatory tournaments, and unless you have an injury, you have to or there are penalties. Taking a 0 on the points plus maybe even a fine. 6 WTA 500s, 10 WTA 1000s, and 4 GS is a lot. Even if they keep the 12 day 1000s, no 500s should be mandatory," another fan wrote.
"Is someone pushing you to play?" How about making just a quick search in the rules, I beg. There are point penalties, monetary fines, and from this year more countable results for the ranking and more mandatory tournaments," a fan posted.
Several fans also accused the Russian of jealousy over Iga Swiatek surpassing his career earnings.
"Career earnings Kafelnikov $23,883,797 when retired. Swiatek $31,419,512 at 23 years old. I can hear some jealousy in this tweet," one fan commented.
"Man is pissed because Iga Swiatek has already been more successful and has made more money than him in his entire career," another fan remarked.
"My blud is frustrated cuz Iga has already made more money at 23 than he’ll do in his entire life 😭😭😭," said yet another.
Daria Kasatkina hits out at Yevgeny Kafelnikov as she rallies behind Iga Swiatek
Daria Kasatkina joined the fans in rallying behind Iga Swiatek after Yevgeny Kafelnikov's controversial criticism. Kasatkina took a dig at Kafelnikov by sharing a graphic highlighting the contrast between his $23,883,797 career earnings and the Pole's earnings of $31,419,512.
"Now I see why you are so pissed😂," she posted on X.
On the tennis front, the World No. 1 will continue her Cincinnati Open campaign against Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster semifinal clash, following the Belarusian's clinical 6-3, 6-2 win over Liudmila Samsonova.
Should Iga Swiatek triumph over Sabalenka, she will battle it out against Paula Badosa or Jessica Pegula in the final as the Pole attempts to win her fifth WTA 1000 title of the season.