The red carpet at the Laureus Awards is usually reserved for champions, but this year, controversy is brewing. While Iga Swiatek stands as one of the strong nominees for the Sportswoman of the Year, former tennis World No. 1 Ana Ivanovic’s choice has ignited a firestorm on social media. Fans are ablaze with criticism, with many questioning the rationale behind the choice.
Elena Rybakina kicked off her clay stint in fantastic fashion by winning the Stuttgart Open. Rybakina beat Swiatek in the semifinal in three sets and then faced Marta Kostyuk to shut her down 6-2, 6-2. The former number 1 saw the clash and shared a message congratulating Rybakina on her ‘X’ page.
Another fan said that congratulating Rybakina for winning the Stuttgart Open and then tagging the player they beat on their way to the final was weird. “Very weird to way to congratulate someone on winning a tournament by tagging the player who they beat, and it wasn’t even in the final.”
A fan of Swiatek was passionate about ensuring she would never be the Polish player in a disrespectful post. “Don’t tag Iga in such a disrespectful post”. One user said that her post showed signs of mean girl behavior. “Lolol, mean girl behavior, no need to tag Iga”.
One user decided to call her out and say that Swiatek had already surpassed whatever she had achieved in life. “But Iga Swiatek is already so much better player than you Ana Ivanovic.”
While most tennis fans are focused on congratulating Rybakina, Swiatek fans are busy defending the current world number 1. After the four-time grand slam champion lost in the semifinal, fans were enraged at her sponsors, ON.
As the world’s top-ranked player, Swiatek seizes every opportunity to dazzle with her immaculate style, her recent decision to reuse an outfit for the start of her clay-court season has disappointed fans. When she lost to Elena Rybakina early in the Stuttgart Open, her supporters’ complaints grew louder. Many expressed their displeasure with ON, the Roger Federer-backed company, for failing to provide the Polish tennis sensation with a new clay-court gear.
