'I Wouldn't Say It Was An Apology': Swiatek Explains Reaction To Ball Boy Incident
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Iga Swiatek explained why she put out a statement after her incident during the 2025 Indian Wells Open.
For the third time this season, Swiatek was stopped in the semi-finals of a tournament. She lost in the semi-final stage at the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, losing to Mirra Andreeva.
It was during that match that the Polish player showed plenty of emotions. At one point in the third set, she angrily hit the ball in the ground. That ball seemed to have gone relatively close to a ball boy who was feeding her the ball, which is why the fans immediately started booing.
After that, many fans online also criticized the former WTA World No. 1 player for her behavior, and soon after, Swiatek made the decision to release a public statement that addressed the incident.
Swiatek didn't talk only about the incident in her statement. She also discussed her recent struggles, explaining her situation to her loyal fans.
Ahead of the 2025 Miami Open, the 23-year-old Pole was asked about the statement. During an interview with Sky Sports, Swiatek was quizzed on why she had decided to put out "an apology" after the incident.
Immediately at the start of the interview, the five-time Grand Slam champion wanted to clarify that she didn't necessarily see it as an apology. She wanted to clarify the situation, but she didn't view it as an apology.
"I wouldn't say it was an apology. For sure, I was not happy with my behavior when I smashed the ball in the ground on the court. And I've seen other players do this, and I didn't know I'm gonna have so many bad reactions."
Swiatek explained that she wanted to give the fans a bit of a perspective of how she feels on the tennis courts. Although most are used to seeing her very calm on the tennis courts, she can get angry as well. That's why she wanted to explain how she felt.
"Because people got used to me being pretty stoic, and having a poker face and everything. But I'm a human being as well, and I have emotions sometimes. Sometimes, it's easier to hold them inside. Sometimes it's a little bit harder."
"I just wanted to explain that I also, kind of, had eye contact with the ball boy and said sorry, so there was no 'beef.' And I also wanted to give my fans some perspective on what I've been dealing with for the past months and how I've been feeling, because I feel like people judge super quickly."
The incident is already behind her, and Swiatek can focus on the upcoming tournament in Miami. As the second seed, she had a first-round bye. In the second round, the Polish player will start against Caroline Garcia, who breezed through her first-round match against Anna Bondar.
