Iga Swiatek discusses nearly hitting a ball boy and three weeks she spent crying daily last year

Iga Swiatek opens up about her struggles, doping suspension, and on-court behavior in a candid social media post.

Iga Swiatek offered a revealing look at her emotional state in recent months — which included a doping suspension, coming to grips with knowing she might not return to No. 1 this season and “three weeks crying daily” — in a lengthy social media post that also discussed online criticism she received for nearly hitting a ball boy by hitting a ball in anger between points.

"I see there's been a lot of recent talk about changes in my on-court behavior and emotions,” Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, posted on Instagram a day before the start of the Miami Open, where she is seeded second.

"Although I'm not comfortable explaining myself, it's time I share my perspective to stop the speculation and baseless theories.” Swiatek addressed what happened last week at the tournament in Indian Wells, California, where she smacked a ball and it landed on the court close to the ball boy before bounding toward the stands. The episode happened during her semifinal loss to eventual champion Mirra Andreeva.

“It's true — I expressed frustration in a way I'm not proud of. My intention was never to aim the ball at anyone but merely to release my frustration by bouncing it on the ground. I immediately apologized to the ball boy, we made eye contact, and nodded to each other when I expressed regret that it happened near him,” Swiatek wrote.

"I've seen many players bounce balls in frustration, and frankly, I didn't expect such harsh judgments. Usually, I control such impulses, so half-jokingly I can say I lack experience in this and misjudged my aim in the heat of the moment.” Swiatek lamented the “constant judgment” that accompanies her career and wrote: “I clearly see how much (people) love judging, creating theories, and imposing opinions on others.” She also spoke about how the standards have shifted as her outward displays of her feelings have.

“When I'm highly focused and don't show many emotions on court, I'm called a robot, my attitude labeled as inhuman. Now that I'm more expressive, showing feelings or struggling internally, I'm suddenly labeled immature or hysterical,” Swiatek said.

"That's not a healthy standard — especially considering that just six months ago, I felt my career was hanging by a thread, spent three weeks crying daily, and didn't want to step on the court.” She spent most of the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons atop the WTA rankings; Aryna Sabalenka replaced her at No. 1 in October. Swiatek, a 23-year-old from Poland, has won four of the past five titles at the French Open — including each of the past three — along with the 2022 U.S. Open.