Danielle Collins criticised Iga Swiatek for her ‘fake behaviour’ and reflected on their heated exchange at the end of Wednesday’s Olympic Games in Paris.
It was a game in which Swiatek knelt on the court and clutched her stomach after being hit by a ball during a point.
However, her opponent was unable to finish the match and had to concede in the third set due to a stomach injury.
There seemed to be no love involved as the two shook hands after their retirement. Collins had a few more pointed words before leaving.
After the match, Collins explains what was said during the exchange.
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She said, “I told Iga not to be dishonest about, you know, my injury,” Collins said.
‘There’s a lot going on on camera, and there’s a lot of people with a lot of charisma who are different on camera than they are in the locker room.
“And I just haven’t had the best experience, and I don’t really feel like anyone has to be fake. They’re allowed to be who they are. I can accept that, and I don’t need the fakeness.”
Swiatek appeared confused by the comments and said she just wanted to congratulate her on her career before she retires at the end of the season.
“Well, I’m not going to argue about it because I’ve never done anything unpleasant to her,” Swiatek replied when asked about it. “I just wanted to congratulate her on her successful career because we all know this is her last year on tour…”
‘Honestly, I don’t know what she meant because we haven’t even had any contact where she could say that to me.
‘Generally, during tournaments, when we go outside and have time to change, we are entitled to five minutes. Here I asked the lady who accompanied me how much time I had. She didn’t tell me. She replied that they don’t count time here and that I should just leave when I feel like it.
“So I used this time to change and cool down, and then I went back to the track. I honestly didn’t know how much time had passed, but I didn’t do anything against the rules, so I don’t really know what the whole situation was.”
Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion and the top seed at the Summer Games, was leading 6-2, 1-6, 4-1 when Collins withdrew from the match after taking a medical timeout for an abdominal injury and was also visited by a trainer.
Collins, a 30-year-old who finished runner-up at the 2022 Australian Open, said she suffered cramps and convulsions due to dehydration and exhaustion after competing in heat that reached 36 degrees on Tuesday.
She accused Olympic organizers of not having insulated water bottles, not providing cold enough water and “not prioritizing the health of the athletes.”
Swiatek is seeking her first Olympic medal at a venue she knows so well. The 23-year-old Pole has won four of the last five championships at the French Open, the Grand Slam tournament held annually at Roland Garros, the same venue used for tennis at these Games.
In Thursday’s semifinals, Swiatek will face sixth-seeded Zheng Qinwen of China. Zheng, who reached the Australian Open final in January, defeated Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (6) on Wednesday.