“I didn't do anything against the rules” – Iga Swiatek claims innocence after fallout with Danielle Collins over ‘long’ break during Paris Olympics QF

Poland's Iga Swiatek has claimed innocence in the timeout controversy that erupted during her quarterfinal match against Danielle Collins from the USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics women's singles event. Swiatek emerged victorious after the American retired due to an abdomen injury.

Swiatek dominated Collins in the first set, taking it with two breaks of serve, but the latter bounced back by taking the second set, also with two break point conversions. The decider saw the Pole convert two more break points before Collins decided to quit when trailing 6-1, 2-6, 4-1.

The match had a fair share of drama as Collins at one point mistakenly hit Iga Swiatek on the ribs and the Pole took an extended break after the second set to her opponent's frustration. All of this culminated in a long exchange at the post-match handshake as Collins was seen delivering lengthy remarks that changed Swiatek's expression.

Swiatek, however, said later that it wasn't clear to her if her break upset Collins, who suffered a heat stroke during the tournament:

"I don't know if the break lasting so long could have given my rival a cause, I won't speculate here. But in general, usually at tournaments, when we go out and have time to change clothes, we are entitled to 5 minutes," she told Interia Sport after the match.

As per Interia Sport, Swiatek was off the court for nine minutes but the World No. 1 claimed to be unaware of the clock.

"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 about," she added.

Notably, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has put in place the Extreme Weather Policy that allows competing athletes to take a 10-minute break after the second set if the West Bulb Globe Temperature (WGBT) breaches the 30.1°C mark.

---

Iga Swiatek: "I asked the lady who escorted me how much time I had, she didn't tell me"

Iga Swiatek at the 2024 Paris Olympics | Getty

In the same interview with Interia Sport, Iga Swiatek revealed that she asked the lady escorting her about the time limit and didn't receive an exact time as the answer, which prompted her to not rush herself during her break.

"I asked the lady who escorted me how much time I had, she didn't tell me that. She replied that they didn't count the time here and that I should just go out when I was careful. So I used that time to change and cool down, and then I went back to the court," the five-time Grand Slam champion said.

Swiatek's next challenge at the 2024 Paris Olympics women's singles event comes in the form of China's Zheng Qinwen, who defeated Germany's Angelique Kerber in their quarterfinal match at Roland Garros.

Swiatek has met Zheng on the court five times and remains unbeaten with a lead of 5-0 in their head-to-head record.