“Iga Swiatek is lucky she didn’t play in the Serena Williams era” - Tennis fans unhappy with Pole for saying women should play like Djokovic or Nadal

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has drawn the ire of tennis fans with her suggestion that WTA players need to play more like Djokovic and Nadal. One fan even claimed that Swiatek is lucky not to have played in the era of Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, Mary Pierce, Jennifer Capriati, and Serena Williams.

After her third-round victory over Bernada Pera at the 2023 Madrid Open, Swiatek was asked about the women’s game being more aggressive at the top now. The World No. 1 responded by saying that Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams played a strong game, but that female players react faster now.

The 21-year-old also stated it is crucial for tennis players to be able to attack and defend well together, like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

In the wake of that, some fans claimed that Swiatek often makes comments detrimental to women’s tennis.

“just say you hate women,” wrote one fan.

“This is the reason Elena Rybakina dog walks her every time they play hits her off the court every time. She’s lucky she didn’t play in the Seles/Davenport/Pierce/Capriati/Williams Era,” commented another fan.

Here are more tweets of fans who were unhappy with Swiatek’s comments.

Iga Swiatek finishes runner-up at the 2023 Madrid Open

Iga Swiatek suffered first loss on clay in 2023

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek lost to World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the WTA 1000 event in Madrid. The Pole went down in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, in what was a replay of the 2023 Stuttgart Open final two weeks ago.

The result marked Swiatek’s first defeat on clay in 2023. The 21-year-old has a win-loss of 25-5 so far this season.

Despite struggling with a rib injury, she has already won two titles in 2023 - the Qatar Open and the Stuttgart Open.

"I want to thank my team. We had a pretty amazing two-and-a-half weeks. Coming back from injury and playing so solid, it's also because of you guys, so thank you. Thank you to my family as well," Swiatek said in her runner-up speech at Madrid.

Iga Swiatek will next play in the 2023 Italian Open, where she is a two-time defending champion. The World No. 1 is bidding to become only the fourth player to win the tournament in three consecutive years.