"Salty sore loser, showing her true face";"Danielle Collins was right about Iga Swiatek": Fans slam Pole for snubbing umpire after Paris Olympics loss
Iga Swiatek's quest for her maiden Olympic gold came to a devastating end in the semifinals in Paris at the hands of Zheng Qinwen. The Pole's refusal to shake hands with the chair umpire after her shock loss has not gone down well with tennis fans.
After losing all six of her previous encounters against the World No. 1, Zheng pulled off a stunning upset over Swiatek, claiming a dominant 6-2, 7-5 victory in an hour and 51 minutes. With her win, Zheng snapped the Pole's 20-match winning streak on clay and handed the 23-year-old only her third loss at Roland Garros.
In addition to the discourse about Iga Swiatek's unexpected loss, the controversial end to the contest also sparked considerable debate. The final point of the match was decided by the chair umpire's decision to uphold the call ruling that the Chinese star's serve as in after checking the mark at the World No. 1's behest.
Seemingly aggrieved over the call, the five-time Grand Slam champion bypassed the umpire's chair after shaking hands with Zheng at the net, refusing the customary handshake with the umpire.
Tennis fans lambasted Iga Swiatek for her conduct, accusing her of being a "sore loser" over her reaction to the correct call made by the umpire. Fans argued that the World No. 1's "salty" behavior and gamesmanship tactics were making it difficult to enjoy her matches.
"She asked the Umpire to check it even if she knew the ball was in because Iga is a salty sore loser. As someone who is not her superfan I find her very unlikable overall, but here she's just showing her true face 🤷🏻♀️," one fan commented.
"She got beat fair and square today, the umpire made the right call in the end too. I enjoy Iga Swiatek and her game but her gamesmanship and being a bit of a sore loser is making it harder to enjoy," another fan chimed in.
"Not a good look, Iga. She was also yelling at the ball kids. I guess people show their true faces only when things go wrong for them," said another.
Several fans also suggested that Danielle Collins may have been correct in her assessment of the Pole's "insincerity," while others argued that Swiatek should face the same backlash Coco Gauff and other American stars earned for their contentious behavior at the Olympics.
"So was Danielle onto something? 👀," one fan posted.
"Coco and Navarro lost their heads, but I think Danielle was right about Iga at this point," a fan contended.
"Y’all been doing all this yapping about sportsmanship for the American women and this girl won’t even shake the umpires hand because the umpire upheld the correct call," another fan wrote.
"Oh and if that was Coco y’all would have started a riot on tt…but since it’s bbg Iga….," said another.
Other fans humorously lamented the lack of sportmanship displayed by the WTA players at the Olympics.
"WTA players left their sportsmanship on the plane to Paris I see. Everyone has been so salty all tournament," one fan commented.
"The Olympic Spirit has left everyones bodies i see 😐," another fan chimed in.
Iga Swiatek can still win the bronze medal at Paris Olympics
Despite her heartbreak in the semifinals of the Paris Olympics, Iga Swiatek still has a chance to clinch her maiden Olympic medal in Paris. The World No. 1 will square off against Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the bronze medal match.
Schmiedlova booked her place against the Pole after her resounding 6-4, 6-0 loss to Croatia's Donna Vekic. Iga Swiatek and the Slovak will face off in their first tour-level encounter during the crucial clash on Friday, August 2.
Vekic, meanwhile, will aim to clinch the gold medal against Zheng Qinwen in the all-important final. The duo stand level at 1-1 in their head-to-head record, with Zheng claiming a narrow 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4 victory over the Croatian in their most recent encounter at the 2023 WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai.