WATCH: “Breaking the rules?” – Iga Swiatek gets a phone call mid-match against Elena Rybakina resulting in a mini interruption

Iga Swiatek had a flustered moment during her quater-finals in Rome, after her phone went off in the court.

WATCH: “Breaking the rules?” – Iga Swiatek gets a phone call mid-match against Elena Rybakina resulting in a mini interruption

Iga Swiatek( Credits: Reuters)

Iga Swiatek is out of the Rome Open after her injury-related retirement in the quarterfinals against Elena Rybakina. During the first set, a disruption occurred after a mobile phone went off in the court. As the noise in question came out of Swiatek’s bag, the internet called out the incident as a violation of rules. 

The World No. 1 had a spectacular start to her clay season. The defending champion of the Stuttgart Open, won the title for the second time, after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets. With her sensational performance in Madrid, the Polish player booked her final seat and set a rematch with Sabalenka. However, the results turned out in favor of the Belarussian, and Swiatek finished the tour as a runner-up. 

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At the Rome Open, the two-time defending champion reached the quarterfinals without losing a single set against his competitors. As the quarterfinal match went on to a decider after 2 hours and 19 minutes of play, Swiatek was seen facing problems with her right leg. With the persisting pain, she called it quits and handed the victory to Elena Rybakina. 

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After the unexpected end to a wonderful battle, the Kazak player praised her opponent for her amazing run and wished her a speedy recovery ahead of the Roland Garros.

“It’s never good to finish a match like this. I saw something happen in the tiebreak, on almost the last point, but I didn’t know how serious it is. The first two games she started really aggressive, so I understood that she couldn’t really move that much,” she said in her on-court interview.

“It was a really good match. I hope it’s nothing serious for Iga and I just wish her a speedy recovery”, Rybakina further added.

While the quarterfinals began with both players playing aggressively at every shot, the crowd witnessed a cell phone going off in the court. Swiatek appeared flustered as she realized that the noise was coming from her bag. She then went on to hand her phone to her team in the stands. While the match went on its course, the incident caught the attention of the tennis fans. Many called her ‘negligence’ unacceptable and voiced their support for a penalty for breaking the court rules. 

https://twitter.com/AH7oaks/status/1659008365157023746?s=20

On the other hand, some had a hilarious reaction to the incident and cited that they could relate to the embarrassing situation.

Swiatek earlier reached the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters but fell short of the fantastic performance of Elena Rybakina. She also withdrew from the Miami Open, citing injury issues. 

Also read: “It depends on if Rafael Nadal plays,” Novak Djokovic gives his verdict on the French Open odds this season

Iga Swiatek is gearing for her fourth Grand Slam trophy at the Roland Garros

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Image Credits: BBC

Iga Swiatek has a dominant game on the clay surface. With the start of the clay tours of the season, the Polish reached back-to-back finals at both Stuttgart and Madrid. However, her recent injury retirement from the Rome Open has raised questions about her performance at the championship in Paris.

The 21-year-old won her maiden Grand Slam at the French Open in 2020. Last year, the World No. 1 repeated history as she claimed her second Roland Garros title after her straight-set victory over Coco Gauff. Her ‘aggressive’ and ‘strong’ game on clay has established her as the leading favorite for the upcoming French Open. With the ongoing preparations for Paris, Swiatek commented that her sole focus is playing her best and not thinking about her favorite tag.

“I don’t think I’m going to care about that. I don’t want to think about how people view this sort of stuff. It’s pretty easy for me to cut off all the social media or media and try to focus on my job of playing tennis”, she told Eurosport.

“But it’s never easy and sometimes there are ups and downs. Last year I was able to cut it off and play my game. I’ve enjoyed playing on clay so hopefully I can focus on that”, Swiatek said.

With the names like Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff, competing for the trophy; the Polish player will face tough competition for her third championship title in Roland Garros.

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