"I would fire her immediately" - Iga Swiatek's bizarre interaction with her sports psychologist during Wimbledon loss baffles tennis fans

In a thrilling match on Centre Court on Tuesday, Elina Svitolina defeated world No. 1 Iga Swiatek to extend her incredible run at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

Svitolina, who defeated Victoria Azarenka in the previous round, staged a remarkable comeback to win the first set 7-5 against Swiatek. The Pole levelled the match in another closely contested set, 7-6(5), but Svitolina took the final set 6-2 to beat the four-time Slam winner and reach the semifinals.

The Ukrainian star, who also reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2019, will next compete against Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic for a spot in Saturday's title clash.

There was a moment during the quarterfinal match that caught the attention of many. Daria Abramowicz, Iga Swiatek's sports psychologist, said something to the Pole and made a chirping motion with her hand. To this, Swiatek sarcastically replied with a thumbs up.

Several tennis fans were baffled by the duo's bizarre interaction and took to Twitter to express their feelings. One user questioned Abramowicz's actions, saying that instead of being mad at Swiatek, she should be encouraging.

Another user sarcastically stated that the Pole would be motivated by her psychologist's irritation with her. The user wrote:

According to another account, if they were in Swiatek's shoes, they would immediately fire Daria Abramowicz.

"I lost and I'm not happy for sure" - Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek stated during her press conference that she was obviously unhappy with her performance as she lost. However, she quickly congratulated Elina Svitolina and promised to work hard to be more consistent.

After her quarterfinal loss, Iga Swiatek's World No. 1 ranking hangs in the balance. The top ranking hinges on the performance of Aryna Sabalenka, who is set to take on Madison Keys in the quarterfinals on Wednesday (July 12).

Should Sabalenka triumph and advance to the coveted final, she would usurp the No. 1 ranking from Swiatek.

About the author

Pritha is one of the driving forces behind Sportskeeda's tennis coverage, serving as an assistant content manager and editor. What began as a casual escape from her tiring biotechnology degree course in early 2022 has blossomed into a passion she loves, cherishes, and breathes every day.

Pritha’s love for the sport was spawned by her dad who showed her clips of "GOAT" Steffi Graf’s matches. Despite a thwarted dream of playing professionally due to injury, she finds solace in reporting the sport, while also mentoring other writers to ensure every article is error-free and top-notch. She double-checks credible sources, such as the tournament/player handles and big tennis media outlets, and gives proper credit where required.

Pritha's journey at Sportskeeda is marked by more than 2000 articles and close to 16 million views, with the "dream-come-true" moment of having her article shared by Chris Evert serving as a highlight of her career. A lifelong Wimbledon fan, Pritha also adores Rafael Nadal, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka.

When she's not seeking unique angles to elevate tennis coverage at Sportskeeda, she loves to channel her inner astrophysics "nerd" by exploring new sci-fi series and movies. A big Lionel Messi, Lewis Hamilton, and Randy Orton fan, she is always ready to engage in sports conversations anytime, anywhere, albeit not without a cup of coffee.

Know More