Iga Swiatek has called for less hate and more thoughtfulness from fans on the internet after she received criticism even as she continues to progress through the draw at the Cincinnati Open this week.
“The amount of hate and criticism that me and my team get after even losing a set is just ridiculous,” said Swiatek. “I want to encourage people to be more thoughtful when they comment on the internet. It would be great if you guys [journalists] would kind of help us make it happen because we all sacrifice a lot, and we are all working really hard to be in that place.“We are always giving 100% of what we can do every day.
Swiatek said on Thursday that her team had received emails and critical private messages merely after losing a set in her third-round match. She recovered from one down to comprehensively defeat Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-1. “Seeing everything that’s going on on the internet after some days when I don’t play my best tennis and just have a moment of a little bit worse performance, I feel that world would be such a better place if we didn’t judge each other so quickly and write that,” said the 22-year-old. “It’s not only in the public area but also emails I get and messages, and my team, as well, actually, which is pretty crazy.
After Thursday’s tense match, Swiatek triumphed in a marquee battle between the two most recent grand slam champions on Friday.