Tennis fans are expressing anger towards Iga Swiatek after she hit a ball in the direction of a ball kid during her defeat by Mirra Andreeva at Indian Wells.
The world number two displayed clear frustration as this loss eliminated her from the prestigious tournament.
The five-time major champion and current Indian Wells titleholder was given a ball by the ball kid as she prepared to serve.
She then forcefully hit the ball into the court, and it went close to the ball kid before landing in the spectator area.
The ball kid recoiled but continued to offer another ball.
He showed no reaction as Swiatek seemed to express frustration towards him with a shrug, having earlier complained to the chair umpire that the ball kids were moving excessively during play.
Swiatek struggled during the match and was defeated with scores of 7-6, 1-6, 6-3.
Spectators at the event booed Swiatek following her outburst, and she has received considerable criticism on social media platforms.
She has not yet addressed the incident. However, recent comments on her latest Instagram post, which stated “Moving on” after her win against Dayana Yastremska, are urging her to issue an apology.
One disappointed fan commented online: “Poor sportsmanship and dangerous play. I have never witnessed such unacceptable behavior before.”
Another comment expressed stronger feelings: “The spoiled attitude of some players remains a disgrace to tennis – this time it was Iga Swiatek.”
A third comment stated, “Swiatek deserved to lose, what an awful person. Terrible behavior.”
Some individuals even suggested she should have been disqualified from the match.
This victory marks Andreeva`s second consecutive win against Swiatek, having also defeated her at the Dubai Open the previous month.
Andreeva is now set to compete against world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
