- Iga Swiatek crashed out of a semi-final for the fifth consecutive time on Sunday
- The World No two smashed the ball at a ball kid before losing to Mirra Andreeva
- Experts revealed the anger may be related to Swiatek’s lifestyle off the court
World number two Iga Swiatek has made the headlines again after experts claimed that the tennis star ‘doesn’t know real life’ as she lost her temper during the Indian Wells semi-final.
The Pole came under fire after she smashed a ball at a ball kid following her devastating loss to Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva 7-6 1-6 6-3, who reached the tournament’s final for the first time.
Swiatek appeared to smash the ball back into the ground towards the ball kid after the tennis star was thrown it as she was on serve.
The ball kid was able to evade the ball as it bounced into the crowd, followed by a hostile reaction from those in attendance, who booed the Polish player.
However, Eurosport expert Tomasz Wolfke has now claimed, via SuperExpress, that her recent struggles may be related to her lifestyle off the court.
‘She doesn’t know real life,’ he said. ‘I don’t remember anyone seeing her at a disco, all dressed up, having fun with friends.
Eurosport tennis expert has revealed Iga Swiatek ‘doesn’t know real life’ after the World No two smashed a ball at a ball kid before losing to Mirra Andreeva
The ball narrowly avoided the ball kid’s head as it bounced into the crowd, who booed the Polish star
Tomasz Wolfke insisted Swiatek’s latest decline in performance may be related to her lifestyle outside the court
‘Maybe it’s not a convent life, not that much, but it’s definitely rare. Tennis will be a profession for her for a dozen or so years, but she’s probably good at it – he admitted.’
His comments came after the WTA rankings were updated on Monday, with Swiatek still number two but significantly lower than Aryna Sabalenka, who has 9,606 points.
The Polish star has endured a challenging time on the court and lost all five of her semi-final appearances since triumphing in the French Open in June 2024.
Tennis legend Boris Becker has also commented on Swiatek’s behaviour during the disappointing semi-final.
‘Iga got little angry…’ he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Andreeva, meanwhile, achieved the end of her path to Indian Wells triumph as the 17-year-old player defeated world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
The Siberia-born star fought back for a 2-6 6-4 6-3 victory in her second successive title after clinching a trophy in Dubai at the end of February.
She became the youngest champion in WTA history at this level and has risen to sixth place in the world rankings.
