Swiatek Denies Attempting To Distract Boulter With Timely Medical Timeout
News
Iga Swiatek might look like a very non-controversial person at first sight, but the Polish player is often embroiled in different types of controversies.
Of course, the biggest controversy in Swiatek's career was her positive doping test. Although she was able to prove contamination of the melatonin tablets that she used, she received a one-month suspension, which will be forever tied to her name.
But that's something the Polish player could not have impacted, as she couldn't know that the pills she used would be contaminated. But there are things that she can influence that she is criticized for.
For example, in the past, she used to wave her hands at the net when her opponent was hitting an easy ball, ultimately trying to distract them, which is considered gamesmanship. She claimed she couldn't control it and did it naturally, but it disappeared from Swiatek's game in recent years.
Another thing that the former WTA World No. 1 does relatively often is lifting her hand when returning to let her opponent know that she is not ready to receive yet. She usually does that on big points, claiming the crowd's movement distracts her.
That's also something Swiatek clashed with her opponents over in the past. Danielle Collins told the Polish player that she was supposed to "play at the server's pace."
With a relatively controversial on-court past, it's not surprising that when Swiatek took a medical time-out when 1-2 (with a break) down to Katie Boulter in their recent match at the 2025 United Cup, many accused her of purposefully taking out the medical time out at a crucial moment.
That moment might have proven to be decisive, as Swiatek went on to win eight points in a row after that, eventually securing a win against the British player, 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4.
Strategically using a medical timeout is something that many tennis players were accused of in the past, and while there are some trends that could be observed, it's virtually impossible to prove someone's intentions when it comes to medical timeouts.
Therefore, it was not surprising that after the match, Swiatek was asked about the timing of her medical timeout, as it came immediately after she lost her serve in the third set.
The Polish player, however, refused the claims of trying to distract her opponent with the medical timeout, even though she noticed that Boulter wasn't playing that well after the break.
"No, I wasn't expecting that. I didn't take medical timeout to throw Katie off her game. I did it because I had to and I didn't feel well. But I took some, you know, painkillers, and they started working pretty quickly. I was able to move a bit better."
"But I felt that she got distracted a bit. She missed some shots right after the break, but it wasn't my intention, obviously, like, I don't do these kind of things to do it tactically. It was just that I needed it."
