Swiatek stunned by 'such harsh judgements' following Indian Wells ball boy incident

World number two Iga Swiatek expressed her regret regarding her reaction at Indian Wells, where she nearly struck a ball boy after forcefully hitting a ball into the ground.She noted that she was not proud of her behavior but was taken aback by the "harsh judgments" she received.

The five-time Grand Slam champion faced significant criticism for the incident, which took place during her semi-final match against eventual champion Mirra Andreeva, where she lost with a score of 7-6(1), 1-6, 6-3 on Friday.

"It's true — I expressed frustration in a way I'm not proud of. My intention was never to aim the ball at anyone but merely to release my frustration by bouncing it on the ground," Swiatek posted on Instagram on Monday.

"I immediately apologised to the ball boy, we made eye contact, and nodded to each other when I expressed regret that it happened near him.

"I've seen many players bounce balls in frustration, and frankly, I didn't expect such harsh judgements."

Swiatek remarked that the latter part of the previous year posed significant difficulties for her. In November, she agreed to a one-month suspension after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ).

"When I'm highly focused and don't show many emotions on court, I'm called a robot, my attitude labelled as inhuman. Now that I'm more expressive, showing feelings or struggling internally, I'm suddenly labelled immature or hysterical," Swiatek said.

"That's not a healthy standard - especially considering that just six months ago, I felt my career was hanging by a thread, spent three weeks crying daily, and didn't want to step on the court."

SportsLigue