Iga Swiatek isn't a player who will go on social media to argue with fans, and neither is her father, Tomasz Swiatek, who recently talked about how the family deals with criticism.
Swiatek hails from an athletic family, and her father was a former athlete who also competed at the Olympics. While he wasn't a tennis player, Swiatek ended up in tennis and became very good at it, highlighted by the way her career unfolded once she became a professional.
A dedicated worker who doesn't speak often or much, the reigning World No. 1 player on the WTA Tour prefers to let her actions speak, especially on the tennis court.
She's relatively shy and reserved and isn't present in the media as much as she could be, given her standing as the best player in the world with a couple of Grand Slam trophies in her bag.
As a public figure, however, her name is often all around social media, and sometimes the stories are based on false assumptions. She was criticized back home in Poland for evading playing for her country in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, but it's a complicated situation.
She mostly doesn't play because the scheduling doesn't allow her, as the event starts immediately after the WTA Finals. Sometimes, fans are also disappointed by some of her results, like her recent loss at the Paris Olympics.
While missing out on the gold medal was a disappointment for Swiatek, bad matches happen, even to the best. Based on some of her results or actions, fans can sometimes create false narratives, but in a recent interview with Sportowefakty, her father explained why they don't correct some of those false narratives about her.
"People write various things, but I decided from the beginning that I wouldn't fight windmills. If I wanted to correct false assumptions, I wouldn't do anything else, and I don't have time for that."
"People evaluate things differently, but they have this in common: when things are going well, almost everyone praises, and when there's one stumble or defeat, criticism begins immediately. It's hard to say where this comes from."
As a former athlete, Tomasz knows well how much criticism athletes face, warranted or not, even though his public profile was much smaller than that of his daughter. Whatever happens and however she plays, there are always going to be some 'experts,' as he called them, who will make assumptions, even though they're not privy to the inner workings of being a tennis professional nor what goes on with his daughter.
"I won't talk about specifics, because it doesn't make sense. The point is that many "experts" speak up, although they have absolutely no idea about the factors that affect results and career or tennis development."
It's the nature of social media, where fans can share their opinions, so that's why Tomasz or his daughter Iga don't even bother correcting them.
"They make theses that are often not supported by reality. This leads nowhere, and introduces chaos. However, I realize that I can't fix the world on my own."
"I don't mean to put her on a pedestal, but to treat her like a person who also needs support and is not a machine insensitive to everything. I would like her to feel appreciated even in her weaker moments."
"It's great that there are many fans who give support and positive comments or messages even in difficult moments."
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