Iga Swiatek Refuses to Reveal Who Criticized Her While Taking Swipe at ‘Clickbait’ Headlines

Iga Swiatek hit back at those who harshly criticized her when she was struggling a great deal before ending her title drought at the Canadian Open. Swiatek, who had made just one semifinal prior to the Toronto event, beat World No.2 Elena Rybakina in the final, winning her first title in the tournament.

During the on-court interview as well as the press conference, the Pole called out the haters for their “unfair” judgement. She admitted that even though she tries to remain unbothered, the unnecessary noise does affect her as well as her team.

Swiatek is currently participating at the Cincinnati Open. She first beat Emiliana Arango, then came from a set down to defeat Maria Sakkari and take a 6-4 head-to-head lead. At the press conference later, the six-time Grand Slam champion was asked who had been mean to her.

Even though Swiatek chose not to reveal the names, she suggested that some media coverage affected her.

Well, don’t ask this question so straightforwardly. I’m not going to get into that. I’m not naive. I know how the world works, you know, clickbait titles are more important sometimes, so just got to focus on doing your job and not care about that.

Swiatek, who is competing as the defending champion in Cincinnati, will face Diane Parry in the fourth round. She is chasing her 13th WTA 1000 title of her career.

Iga Swiatek analyzes her match against Maria Sakkari

This is the third time Iga Swiatek has faced Maria Sakkari this season. The Greek ace won their first meeting in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open. Swiatek got her revenge in the third round of Indian Wells.

Although Sakkari won the first set 6-4 in their latest match, she failed to win more than a combined two games in the next two sets, losing with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 scoreline.

It’s hard to analyze it, honestly. I felt like I was playing quite good in the first set, sometimes just lacked precision. Played too much to Maria, and she used the opportunities. She was playing faster than me, I feel like, or deeper.

Iga Swiatek said during her on-court interview

Sakkari last won a title at the 2023 Guadalajara Open. She has played one final this year, at the Abierto de Atenas, losing the match to 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.

I really wanted to start pushing her so she doesn’t get so many opportunities to push me, so I’m happy that in the second set it started working and I played a bit better. She started making mistakes, and I knew the momentum changed a little bit, and it was time to push.

Iga Swiatek added

If Swiatek beats Diane Parry, she could face Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals. The Kazakh ace, who is chasing her third title of the season in the ongoing tournament, will face Diana Shnaider in the fourth round. Swiatek holds a 7-6 head-to-head edge over the two-time Grand Slam champion.

After Cincinnati, the six-time Grand Slam champion will chase her second title at the US Open. It was in New York back in 2022 that Swiatek clinched her third Grand Slam title by defeating Ons Jabeur.

Aryna Sabalenka will be competing as the defending champion at the US Open (she beat Amanda Anisimova last year). The Cincinnati Open and the US Open are crucial in terms of ranking. Rybakina is 429 points behind Sabalenka in the live rankings.

Last year at the US Open, the World No.2 suffered a fourth-round exit. Swiatek, on the other hand, crashed out of the quarterfinals.

Also read: Jessica Pegula Navigates Evolving Cincinnati Conditions Amid Strategic Season Push