Iga Swiatek slammed for scaring ball boy in epic meltdown during Indian Wells semifinal: 'Ban her'

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA: Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek has attracted wide criticism online for smashing a ball back at a ball boy during her match against Mirra Andreeva on Friday, March 14, at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California. 

The 23-year-old lost the game to the 17-year-old Russian tennis player during the semifinal match, as reported by People.

Iga Swiatek smashes ball at ball boy during Indian Wells Semifinal

As she struggled to regain control in the third set, a visibly frustrated Iga Swiatek, reportedly turned towards the chair umpire to complain about the ball kids, who were allegedly making noise behind her. The 2024 French US Open winner claimed she got distracted because of them while she was getting ready to receive Mirra Andreeva's serve.

When one of the ball boys threw her a ball, Swiatek, who was seemingly frustrated, turned back and smashed the ball toward him. Thankfully, the ball boy moved out of the way before the ball could hit him. 

Soon spectators started booing the Polish tennis player. 

The semifinal ended with a 7-6 (1), 1-6, and 6-3 victory for Andreeva. 

Internet calls Iga Swiatek's behavior 'disgusting'

Many people expressed their anger online over Iga Swiatek's behavior, with one writing on X (formerly Twitter), "I still can't get over the aggressive nature she hit that ball in the direction of the ball boy. Shocking, absolutely shocking behaviour by Swiatek."

Another said, "Has she been asked or addressed the issue, didn't see post match press conference? What a shame to act that way. Wonderful to see Mirra beat her for the second time in less than a month."

"Ban her," an individual declared, while a person expressed, "Iga is unlikable. She may be a champion, but she is not loved by fans and never will be."

"Disgusting behaviour," another comment read. 

On Instagram, one wrote, "Very uncool and inappropriate behavior in the last match with a ball-passing boy. And it was once again bad behavior with the coach before. What is going on with Iga's nerves? Shouldn't something be done about it?"

"Iga, I think you should apologize to that ball boy and to your fans like me for your behavior in your loss to Andreeva. It is not fitting for such a champion. I hope you can learn to be more graceful in your losses," another Instagram comment read.

Iga Swiatek was previously suspended due to a positive drug test

However, this isn’t the first time Iga Swiatek has made headlines for something negative.

She got a one-month suspension in August last year after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in an out-of-competition anti-doping test. She claimed the positive test was due to contaminated melatonin tablets from Poland, as per Olympics.com.

In a statement, the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said, "The WTA fully supports Iga during this difficult time. Iga has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to fair play and upholding the principles of clean sport, and this unfortunate incident highlights the challenges athletes face in navigating the use of medications and supplements."

"We will continue to work closely with our athletes to provide education and resources that empower athletes to make informed decisions and maintain the highest standards of integrity in our sport," it added.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.