The match between Iga Świątek and Emma Navarro should not have had much history in theory. The WTA vice-ranking player gave the American no chance, crushing her in an hour and a half 6:1, 6:2 . And yet the quarter-final of the Australian Open with our tennis player’s participation made a huge splash, causing an avalanche of comments. And all because of a situation that occurred in the second set.
At that time, at 2:2, Iga Świątek won a break after a rally during which the ball bounced twice on her side of the court . However, the referee did not notice this, and Emma Navarro soon began to complain to her. As it turned out, they were justified. However, according to the rules, it was no longer possible to change the score, which only accelerated Iga Świątek’s triumph.
After the match, the Pole had to explain the whole incident. Journalists immediately asked her for a comment during the post-match press conference. – I didn’t see the replay after that point, I didn’t look at the monitors. I wanted to stay focused. I wasn’t sure if there was a double bounce , so I hit the ball with my frame. It was difficult to assess the situation because I was running, I don’t even remember the moment of the bounce. Sometimes you don’t look at every move that closely. I wasn’t sure. I was also waiting for the VAR system, but since I didn’t see it, I kept competing and focused on the next ball – said our tennis player.
Australian Open. The loud scandal with Iga Świątek returns. Criticism of the Polish woman
Now, the whole situation has been revisited in the Sports Illustrated portal by renowned journalist Jon Wertheim, who criticized Iga Świątek for not stopping the action, giving up a point to her opponent. In his opinion, the Pole would have gained a lot from this, especially since she was in a specific situation at the time.
This is going to sound a lot harsher than I intended … but here’s Iga Świątek. This is her first Grand Slam tournament after the doping controversy. Sure, she’s been cleared in principle, but there’s still a blemish. Wouldn’t you take every measure and opportunity to send a message, especially at the next tournament, that you compete fairly and are proud of your reputation?” the American wrote.
He also referred to the words of Martina Navratilova, who emphasized that top players simply instinctively feel when the ball bounces off the court twice, although he did not accuse the Pole of telling lies during the conference. Nevertheless, he stated that the Pole could have gotten out of the situation in a completely different way, but in this way – she left a bad taste in the mouth.
– Even if we trust the words of Świątek, who was not sure whether her shot was legal, consider her celebration beak after “winning” the point. Why shouldn’t she defer to her opponent? If she loses the point, it will be a great sportsmanship gesture. If she wins, the headlines after the match will be: “Świątek shows integrity on her way to quarterfinal victory.” Instead, she left many with a bad taste in their mouths – said Jon Wertheim.
By defeating Emma Navarro, Iga Świątek advanced to the semi-finals of the Australian Open for the second time in her career. Unfortunately, she was not able to take the next step later, losing in the fight for the final to the eventual champion – Madison Keys. In the decisive fight, the representative of the United States defeated the defending champion – Aryna Sabalenka, who, despite the final defeat, retained the position of the leader of the world ranking after the struggles in Melbourne.
