"Level of scrutiny women face in this sport is ridiculous" - Fans scream sexism as Iga Swiatek labeled 'not great for women's tennis' by commentator
Retired tennis player Jimmy Arias recently opined that Iga Swiatek isn't great for tennis and soon faced the wrath of tennis fans on social media for that comment.
Arias, a former US Open semifinalist, hung up his tennis boots in 1994 and currently works as a commentator for tennis matches. The American recently said in a podcast that he doesn't like Swiatek's personality as she wears her hat too low.
“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.”
Soon after this statement was made, tennis fans expressed their displeasure with the American for his comments on the World No. 1.
A fan asserted that Arias' statement is sexist in nature.
"This comment is steeped in sexism."
This comment is steeped in sexism twitter.com/thetennislette…
Another fan called Arias a 'nobody' and stated that no one asked for his comments.
"Another nobody giving their opinion that no one asked for."
Another nobody giving their opinion that no one asked for pic.twitter.com/aO9ys9GEaS twitter.com/thetennislette…
Fans continued to express their anger towards the statement and even called it 'absurd.'
"LOL. What? The most absurd thing I heard about Iga from many years."
@TheTennisLetter LOL. What? The most absurd thing I heard about Iga from many years🙃
"Easily the front runner for the most nonsensical tennis opinion of the year..!"
@TheTennisLetter Easily the front runner for the most nonsensical tennis opinion of the year..!
Another tennis fan expressed her sadness at 'mediocre men' constantly criticizing successful women.
"Why are these mediocre men always so concerned and badmouthing successful women? I really hope Jimmy Arias learns a lesson."
Why are these mediocre men always so concerned and badmouthing successful women? I really hope Jimmy Arias learns a lesson. twitter.com/TheTennisLette…
Below are a few more fan reactions:
the level of scrutiny women face in this sport is genuinely ridiculous twitter.com/thetennislette…
@TheTennisLetter Wtf does that have to do with anything?? 😂
I'm not a huge fan of Swiatek but I respect her for being an amazing player and the worlds best player on the @WTA right now.
Jimmy Arias comments below are embarrassing and are done purely for click bait purposes. twitter.com/thetennislette…
No you can't understand it's been 55 minutes and I'm still trying to process this lmfao it's the most unserious thing I've ever read in my life I mean if we put 30 completely random words together we would come out with something with more sense twitter.com/TheTennisLette…
Iga Swiatek wins maiden title on home soil
Iga Swiatek won the 2023 Poland Open, her first title on her home soil. The World No. 1 beat Laura Siegemund 6-0, 6-1 in the final to win the title. The Pole failed to contain her excitement after winning the match as she jumped around the court, waving at the crowd to celebrate her victory.
Following her win, she even hugged her team, including her psychologist, and later posed with the ball kids flaunting her winner's trophy. The four-time Grand Slam winner lost in the quarterfinals of last year's Poland Open.
En route to her title win, Swiatek did not lose a single set and dropped just one game in the final. The Poland Open title was Iga Swiatek's fourth singles title of the season, after the Qatar Open, Stuttgart Open, and the French Open.