Iga Swiatek has divulged that she still does not understand why Danielle Collins described her as “insincere” after the pair’s heated recent encounter at the Olympics.
The world No 1 was leading 4-1 in the third set of her quarter-final match against Collins at the Paris Games when the American retired due to an injury.
During a fiery clash, Collins told Swiatek to “play at the server’s pace” after the Pole held up her hand to stop the American from serving, while Collins also hit Swiatek in the midriff with a drilled passing shot.
Following Collins’ retirement, the pair exchanged words and the American revealed she had made a point to Swiatek about being “insincere.”
“I told Iga she didn’t have to be insincere about, you know, my injury,” the world No 10 said in her press conference.
“There’s a lot that happens on camera, and there are a lot of people with a ton of charisma and come out and are one way on camera and another way in the locker room.
“And I just haven’t had the best experience, and I don’t really feel like anybody needs to be insincere. They can be the way that they are. I can accept that, and I don’t need the fakeness.”
After progressing to the semi-finals in Paris, Swiatek was beaten 6-2, 7-5 by eventual gold medallist Qinwen Zheng. The 23-year-old then cruised past Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2, 6-1 in the bronze medal match.
In an interview with WP SportoweFatky, Swiatek was asked if the “commotion” of the match against Collins had affected her in her last four loss to Zheng.