Danielle Collins and Iga Swiatek were embroiled in a very tense quarterfinal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which was full of drama until the anticlimactic end.
Swiatek won the match (via retirement) for the seventh time in eight meetings. It's also the third time she's beaten Collins this year. But things could have turned differently after the American threatened an upset by leveling the match at one set all in the second set.
At the start of the third set, Collins and Swiatek were involved in a lengthy opening game. During one of the deuce games, the former Australian Open finalist, who is playing the last season of her career, chased Swiatek's stop volley and whacked a backhand shot directly at her opponent.
Swiatek dropped to her knees and paused for a moment to process things. She looked stunned and confused as Collins made her way across the net to check on her. "Iga, are you okay?" the first-time Olympian could be heard saying.
Chair umpire Damien Dumusois also left his seat to assess the situation. Swiatek was on her feet from the dirt and picked up her racket. With a gentle nod and flick of her wrist, she suggested she was fine.
Speaking after the match, she told reporters that she could not breathe momentarily and that she was hurt by the powerful hit of the tennis ball. On replays, the World No. 1's reflexes probably prevented more serious pain.
"I could not breathe for a moment. It hurt for a bit. But with the adrenaline that you have on court, you don't feel as much as you should."
But that was not the only talking point of the match. Even before that incident, Swiatek was already in the spotlight for gamesmanship accusations once again after taking a lengthy bathroom break when she lost the second set.
At last month's Wimbledon, her third-round conqueror, Yulia Putintseva, admitted she was "bored" waiting for Swiatek to come out of the locker room during the short pause after the second set. Several fans have taken note of the Pole's habits.
The prolonged break had a negative effect on Collins, as she lost her first service game at the start of the third set, and Swiatek consolidated for a 2-0 lead.
At the start of the third game, Collins was preparing to serve and spotted Swiatek lifting her racket, who was seemingly distracted by spectators moving onto their seats.
The 30-year-old glanced over on her shoulder and alleged that there was no movement taking place and instructed Swiatek to "play at server's pace."
"There's like no one behind me. Play at the server's pace."
Collins did not complete the match because of a stomach injury which she clarified during her post-match interview as quoted on ESPN. She stated that the absence of insulated water bottles was to blame and was disappointed by the lack of quality standards at the tournament.
"It's incredibly disappointing because you work so hard your whole life to make it to the Olympics - and this is my first and my last Olympics - and something like not having adequate water on court, that's really frustrating and it's really sad."
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