Iga Swiatek had to field a silly question after her third-round victory at the Italian Open.
Earlier on Saturday, Swiatek dug deep to defeat an in-form Yulia Putintseva for the second time this season. Despite the perfunctory scoreline, Swiatek was made to work for the win, recovering from a break deficit in the second set to progress in straight sets.
In her post-match press conference, the Pole was asked to explain why she was "not getting the attention of people" in Rome, considering that she is the WTA's No. 1. Instead, as the journalist put it, the eyes are all fixated on ATP stars Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Swiatek was definitely taken aback by the question, although she did her best not to dodge it. She stated that it was understandable that Nadal was getting traction because it was his last appearance in Rome. At the same time, the 22-year-old admitted that Djokovic was the greatest tennis player of all time.
"Well, I don't know if that was a punch or not. I think there is some attention on me, but I totally understand why Rafa and Novak, they have such a huge fan base."
"It's not like I'm jealous or something. Well, it's Rafa's last tournament - not last, but last tournament in Rome possibly. I get why people are focusing on watching him. And Novak, obviously, he's the G.O.A.T. as well. I don't understand this question, honestly."
Swiatek will next face a former World No. 1, Angelique Kerber, who has surprisingly sneaked into the fourth round under the radar after beating Lauren Davis, Veronika Kudermetova, and Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
The German veteran has not dropped a set all week but will face a stiff test against the two-time champion. Swiatek leads their head-to-head 2-0, winning their most recent clash at the 2024 United Cup in straight sets.
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