Skip to Content Facebook Feature Image

Iga Swiatek discusses nearly hitting a ball boy and three weeks she spent crying daily last year

Sport

Iga Swiatek discusses nearly hitting a ball boy and three weeks she spent crying daily last year
Sport

Sport

Iga Swiatek discusses nearly hitting a ball boy and three weeks she spent crying daily last year

2025-03-18 07:42 Last Updated At:07:51

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Iga Swiatek offered a revealing look at her emotional state in recent months — which included a doping suspension, coming to grips with knowing she might not return to No. 1 this season and “three weeks crying daily” — in a lengthy social media post Monday that also discussed online criticism she received for nearly hitting a ball boy by hitting a ball in anger between points.

“I see there’s been a lot of recent talk about changes in my on-court behavior and emotions,” Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, posted on Instagram a day before the start of the Miami Open, where she is seeded second. “Although I’m not comfortable explaining myself, it’s time I share my perspective to stop the speculation and baseless theories.”

Swiatek addressed what happened last week at the tournament in Indian Wells, California, where she smacked a ball and it landed on the court close to the ball boy before bounding toward the stands. The episode happened during her semifinal loss to eventual champion Mirra Andreeva.

“It’s true — I expressed frustration in a way I’m not proud of. My intention was never to aim the ball at anyone but merely to release my frustration by bouncing it on the ground. I immediately apologized to the ball boy, we made eye contact, and nodded to each other when I expressed regret that it happened near him,” Swiatek wrote. “I’ve seen many players bounce balls in frustration, and frankly, I didn’t expect such harsh judgments. Usually, I control such impulses, so half-jokingly I can say I lack experience in this and misjudged my aim in the heat of the moment.”

Swiatek lamented the “constant judgment” that accompanies her career and wrote: “I clearly see how much (people) love judging, creating theories, and imposing opinions on others.”

She also spoke about how the standards have shifted as her outward displays of her feelings have.

“When I’m highly focused and don’t show many emotions on court, I’m called a robot, my attitude labeled as inhuman. Now that I’m more expressive, showing feelings or struggling internally, I’m suddenly labeled immature or hysterical,” Swiatek said. "That’s not a healthy standard — especially considering that just six months ago, I felt my career was hanging by a thread, spent three weeks crying daily, and didn’t want to step on the court.”

She spent most of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons atop the WTA rankings; Aryna Sabalenka replaced her at No. 1 in October. Swiatek, a 23-year-old from Poland, has won four of the past five titles at the French Open — including each of the past three — along with the 2022 U.S. Open.

But she dealt with a doping case last year after failing an out-of-competition drug test in August for the banned substance trimetazidine, a heart medication known as TMZ. The International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted her explanation that the result was unintentional and caused by the contamination of the non-prescription medication melatonin that she was taking for issues with jet lag and sleeping.

The resolution of her case was made public in late November; she already had been sidelined provisionally, missing three tournaments in October, and finished her one-month ban during the offseason.

“The second half of last year was extremely challenging for me, especially due to the positive doping test and how circumstances completely beyond my control took away my chance to fight for the highest sport goals at the end of the season,” Swiatek wrote Monday, adding that “forced me to rearrange certain things within myself."

She concluded by observing, “I know I'll never please everyone. I walk my own path.” And closed with the phrase: “See you in Miami.”

Iga Swiatek, of Poland, returns to Mirra Andreeva, of Russia, during the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Friday, March 14, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Iga Swiatek, of Poland, returns to Mirra Andreeva, of Russia, during the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Friday, March 14, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Iga Swiatek, of Poland, gestures while talking with the chair umpire as she plays against Mirra Andreeva, of Russia, during the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Friday, March 14, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Iga Swiatek, of Poland, gestures while talking with the chair umpire as she plays against Mirra Andreeva, of Russia, during the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament Friday, March 14, 2025, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The NHL has met with a group led by billionaire Dan Friedkin to discuss its interest in bringing an expansion team to Houston, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed Thursday night in an email to The Associated Press.

Friedkin, who has a net worth of $6.4 billion, according to Forbes, recently bought 98.8% interest in English Premier League club Everton. With his son Ryan, the Houston-based Friedkin Group has investments in the automotive industry, entertainment, hospitality and sports.

A message sent to the Friedkin Group seeking comment was not immediately returned. ESPN reported that Friedkin had become a leading candidate for a franchise if the league decides to expand beyond 32 teams.

Commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly said the league is not currently in a formal expansion process. Multiple groups in Atlanta also expressed interest in giving hockey in Georgia's capital a third try.

Bettman told The AP in September the NHL would seek a very targeted process, if expanding at all.

“If somebody checks all the boxes and wants to move forward, then I’ll take it first to the executive committee and see if there’s an interest,” Bettman said at the time. “What we’re not going to do is what we did in prior times and say ‘(There is) a lot of interest, if you want to file an application, do it by this date and we’ll consider all the applications together.’ This is going to be a one off, if we do it at all.”

Expansion did not come up during Bettman's news conference Wednesday wrapping up the annual general managers spring meeting in Florida.

Ryan Smith's group a little over a year ago announced its interest in an expansion team in Utah. A few months later, the Smith Entertainment Group bought the Arizona Coyotes from previous owner Alex Meruelo and relocated them to Salt Lake City where they are known as the Utah Hockey Club for this season.

The NHL's most recent forays into Vegas and Seattle, with increasing expansion fees that could next time be close to $1 billion, have been so successful as to spur talk of going to 33 and then at some point 34 teams. Before the Golden Knights in 2017, the league had not expanded since 2000 when the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild entered the league.

Friedkin, who made his fortune distributing Toyotas in Texas, was reportedly also considering a bid for the NBA’s Boston Celtics before they were sold on Thursday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

FILE - Dan Friedkin stands prior to the Italian Serie A soccer match on Dec. 17, 2020, between Roma and Torino at Rome's Olympic stadium. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP,File)

FILE - Dan Friedkin stands prior to the Italian Serie A soccer match on Dec. 17, 2020, between Roma and Torino at Rome's Olympic stadium. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP,File)

FILE - The Houston skyline overlooks the Buffalo Bayou as it snakes its' way into downtown Friday, April 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan,File)

FILE - The Houston skyline overlooks the Buffalo Bayou as it snakes its' way into downtown Friday, April 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan,File)

Recommended Articles
Hot · Posts