Women’s world No.1 Iga Swiatek shows off a bizarre pre-match ritual ahead of her second-round match
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Women’s World No.1 Iga Swiatek displays a strange pre-match ritual ahead of her second round match, after angrily lashing out at a fan.
- Iga Swiatek’s shoe screeching before the match at the Australian Open irritated some fans
- One tweeted warm-up tactic was ‘disrespectful’, another said it was ‘annoying’
- The 21-year-old Polish ace advanced to the third round after beating Colombian Camila Osorio
Iga Swiatek is a fan favorite on court, but her bizarre pre-match ritual ahead of her second-round match against Colombia’s Camila Osorio at the Australian Open has become a talking point on social media. .
The world No. 1 and top seed in the women’s league cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 victory on Wednesday, and the squeak of her shoes before the opener frustrated some supporters.
That’s a lack of respect. Can’t she just sit still for a few seconds? one wrote after the clip was uploaded to the official Australian Open Twitter page.
Another savagely replied “Shit, she’s so annoying.”
It comes after 21-year-old Swiatek lashed out at a fan at Melbourne Park following his first round win on Monday.
Iga Swiatek’s pre-match ritual before her second round match against Colombian Camila Osorio was a topic of conversation on Twitter.
The world number one and top seed (pictured left) frantically squeaked her shoes into the net before the first point on Wednesday during warm-ups.
The three-time Grand Slam champion, whose best Australian Open result is a place in the semifinal, reminded fans to treat players with patience and respect.
The Polish ace cruised to a 6-4, 7-5 first-round win over Germany’s Jule Niemeier, and when a supporter got overly enthusiastic after the match, Swiatek erupted.
When autographing a series of novelty-sized tennis balls, one fan decided that the quickest way to get his ball to stardom was to throw it away.
Swiatek quickly took evasive action, but the ball hit her in the stomach, prompting her to flick her finger to the fan and utter a few choice words.
Swiatek then paid tribute to Australian great Ash Barty, who retired from the sport last March.
Poland’s Iga Swiatek relieved after beating Germany’s Jule Niemeier in their first round match at Melbourne Park.
Swiatek has replaced retired Australian champion Ash Barty as world number 1 and credits the Queenslander for being an inspiration.
“She’s such an inspiration and the way she carries herself, she’s very classy,” he said earlier this week.
“It seemed like she (Barty) really enjoyed competing and having a challenge, which I really admire because sometimes, for me, a challenge is something that I tend to get nervous about before.”
“So I really wanted to have this mindset and she really inspired me to work on myself.”
Swiatke’s two-set victory at a closed Rod Laver Arena set up a third-round clash on Friday with either former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu or Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa.