- Title: Swiatek issues statement on ball boy incident after backlash
- Date: 17th March 2025
- Summary: BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (FILE-NOVEMBER 10, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DAN, THEN LEADER OF USR (SAVE ROMANIA UNION) PARTY AND THEN ROMANIAN PRIME MINISTER, DACIAN CIOLOS ATTENDING MEETING WITH VOTERS AHEAD OF PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (FILE-NOVEMBER 29, 2016) (REUTERS) DAN IN HIS OFFICE DAN SPEAKING BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (FILE-NOVEMBER 30, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Iga Swiatek Indian Wells Open Miami Open Tennis WTA WTA 1000 ball boy doping
- Location: INTERNET / MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA / MALAGA, SPAIN
- City: INTERNET / MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA / MALAGA, SPAIN
- Country: US
- Topics: North America,Sport,Tennis
- Reuters ID: LVA002953417032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Iga Swiatek issued a statement on Instagram on Monday (March 17) following criticism for smashing a ball away that was thrown to her by a ball boy during her Indian Wells semi-final loss to eventual champion Mirra Andreeva at the Indian Wells Open.
In a moment of frustration, the world number two struck a ball that inadvertently headed towards a ball boy, leading to boos and online criticism.
Swiatek admitted that she was not proud of how she had expressed her frustration and that she had immediately apologised to the ball boy.
The Pole highlighted her struggles in dealing with not winning a title since last year’s French Open, and bemoaned the scrutiny she faces.
Swiatek also revealed the emotional hurdles she had come up against in dealing with a positive doping test that left her career “hanging by a thread”.
Swiatek tested positive in an out-of-competition sample last August for the substance trimetazidine (TMZ), but the International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted that it was caused by contamination of her medication melatonin for jet lag and sleep issues. Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension.
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