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World No. 1 Iga Swiatek was not happy with the way Russian tennis star Anastasia Potapova wore a controversial, pro-Russian jersey before her match against Jessica Pegula in Indian Wells.
Anastasia Potapova made an unexpected fashion statement before her third-round match against Pegula at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Potapova arrived on the tennis court wearing a Spartak Moscow jersey rather than traditional tennis attire.
Although it is not the first time a tennis player has worn a jersey to support their favorite team, as Victoria Azarenka frequently wears her favorite soccer team PSG's jersey, fans saw this as a display of bad taste and a clear instigation on the part of Potapova in linkage with the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Iga Swiatek was asked to comment on the matter at a press conference in Indian Wells following her victory over Bianca Andreescu, to which the Pole responded that she was "surprised" by her colleague's actions. She was of the opinion that the Russian shouldn't have shown her views at a time like this, even if she is a fan of the soccer team.
"To be honest, I was surprised because I thought she realized that she shouldn't, even if she's a fan of the team, show her views at times like this. I didn't know what the WTA would do or what the consequences would be," Swiatek said.
The 21-year-old then stated that she spoke with the WTA about the situation, and they assured her that they would explain to other players not to promote any Russian team these days, which calmed her down a little. At the same time, Swiatek felt that such action should have been taken much earlier.
"I talked to the WTA and in a sense I learned that there will probably be fewer of these situations, because they will explain to other players that you can't promote any Russian teams these days, which calmed me down a bit," Iga Swiatek said.
"On the other hand, I think that such a message should have been made much earlier. At the beginning of the war, there was a lot of chaos in the locker room. It was not known how to approach all this. This causes such situations," she added.
Iga Swiatek to lock horns with Emma Raducanu in the fourth round at the BNP Paribas Open
Iga Swiatek defeated Bianca Andreescu 6-3, 7-6(1) on Monday, March 13 to advance to the fourth round at Indian Wells, where she will face Emma Raducanu. Swiatek won the pair's lone meeting in the Stuttgart quarterfinals last year, giving herself a 1-0 advantage in the head-to-head against the Brit.
Unseeded Raducanu, who has been sidelined by injuries and illnesses since the Australian Open, defeated 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 in the third round earlier. The victory was the Brit's second time, since her historic US Open title run, earning three straight match wins on tour.
