"Mentioning money was very distasteful but agree with overall sentiment": Fans react to Iga Swiatek calling out French Open crowd's disruptive conduct
Iga Swiatek cautioning the French Open crowd against disruptive behavior after her hard-fought victory over Naomi Osaka has sparked a discussion among tennis fans. The Pole narrowly kept her hopes of a title defense alive by saving a match point to claim a 7-6 (1), 1-6, 7-5 win against Osaka in the second round.
Following the thrilling two-hour and 57-minute battle, the World No. 1 addressed the crowd and urged them to refrain from "screaming" during rallies, as it impacts players' concentration.
"I have huge respect for you guys, and I know we are playing for you, but sometimes under a lot of pressure when you scream something during the rally, it’s really hard to be focused," Iga Swiatek said.
Iga Swiatek also highlighted the significant prize money and ranking points on the line, asserting that such disruptions could prove very costly for players.
"I usually don’t bring this up because I want to be a player that’s in the zone and focused. But this is serious for us. We’re fighting our whole lives to be better and better. Sometimes it’s hard to accept that. The stakes are big. There’s a lot of money to win. Losing a few points may change a lot," she added.
Although fans agreed with the four-time Grand Slam champion's sentiments about the noise, they were bothered by her mention of the prize money at stake, arguing that it's "distasteful," given her multimillionaire status.
"Mentioning money was very distasteful tbh but I sort of agree with the overall sentiment," one fan commented.
"I agree with her about the noise during points, but when she started to mention about money, wow. She’s a multimillionaire and she bothered about the money a stake. Millions of people are in poverty. If she said titles then okay, but Money," another fan chimed in.
"Money?? Give me a f**king break, multi-millionaire, while people are starving," said another.
"The money part," shared yet another.
Nevertheless, most fans commended Iga Swiatek for confronting the rowdy crowd, praising her for doing so in a "classy and respectful" manner.
"Iga is right, and I hope french people at RG will love her more for telling the truth, very kindly (BTW, I'm french) ! I think it's good that players say how they feel during a match, how hard it can be," one fan posted.
"Say whatever you want about Iga but here she’s 100% right," another fan wrote.
"She did it in a very classy and respectful way. This is the right approach," said another.
Meanwhile, some fans humorously remarked that it's "crazy" for the 22-year-old to tell the French fans to be quiet.
"Asking the french to stfu is crazy," a fan posted.
"I was gooped when she said that, also could’ve said smth nice bout Naomi but miss girl started talking about money likeeeee," another fan responded.
Iga Swiatek: "Maybe I didn't take a good decision to say that on the court, but I hope they don't treat me badly"
Iga Swiatek clarified her comments in her post-match press conference, emphasizing that she wants the French Open crowd to understand the difficulty players face in managing loud shouts during crucial moments.
"I know that they are an enthusiastic audience, but I wanted to make it clear that it is not easy for the tennis players to manage those shouts when we have so much at stake," Iga Swiatek said.
The Pole conceded that her remarks might not have endeared her to the crowd, expressing hope that she wouldn't face a hostile crowd in future matches due to her comments.
"I just hope they understand that the rule is not to make noise in the middle of a point. Maybe I didn't take a good decision to say that on the court, but I hope they understand it and don't treat me badly," she added.
Following her win over Naomi Osaka, Iga Swiatek will take on Marie Bouzkova or Jana Fett in the third round of the claycourt Major.