Where is the love for Iga Swiatek?
The world No 1 is undoubtedly the best player in the women’s game and her commanding lead at the top of the world rankings confirms her levels of consistency are in a different league compared to all of her rivals.
Yet when the lists of most popular tennis players are compiled, Swiatek rarely gets a mention.
In the men’s game, it is easy to pick out Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner as the fans’ favourites, with Frances Tiafoe, Grigor Dimitrov, Jack Draper and Ben Shelton also enjoying a strong fan base.
In the women’s game, Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur and even the rarely seen Emma Raducanu tend to get more positive media coverage than the best player in women’s tennis.
It may be that Swiatek’s efficient brilliance has not captured the imagination of some fans, with her clinical ability to hand out 6-0 sets to her overwhelmed opponents a trait that some find less than appealing.
One of Iga’s biggest ‘crimes’ may be that she is just too good, with the way she wins tennis matches in such a brutal and swift fashion failing to serve up the excitement fans crave.
Away from her reputation as a winning machine, Swiatek is everything we want from our sporting greats.
She is vulnerable at times, shows her frailties on court and can collapse under pressure on the rare occasions when she allows an an opponent to get on top of her in a match.
Swiatek is also an outspoken supporter of making life better for players, with her pleas for a trimmed-down tennis schedule backed up by her honest confessions over the social media abuse that comes her way.
“The amount of hate and criticism that me and my team get after even losing a set is just ridiculous,” she said earlier this month. “I want to encourage people to be more thoughtful when they comment on the Internet.
“It’s kind of sad for me to see that people I work with and myself, we are really judged.
“I would like to encourage people to be more thoughtful and to also focus on the positive side of what we are doing. We all sacrifice a lot, and we are all working really hard to be in that place. We are always giving 100% of what we can do every day.
“I’m only kind of seeing the messages from my close ones, the ones that I already accepted, but for sure there is a lot of hate.
“It would be nice if we can try to educate people and also maybe in the future have some solutions as, you know, using Al to make it safer for us.
“Because I feel like we can’t be on the internet and feel like kind of safe anymore. You have to really be careful about what you’re reading and who you’re following.
Swiatek is also an outspoken supporter of making life better for players, with her pleas for a trimmed-down tennis schedule backed up by her honest confessions over the social media abuse that comes her way.
“The amount of hate and criticism that me and my team get after even losing a set is just ridiculous,” she said earlier this month. “I want to encourage people to be more thoughtful when they comment on the Internet.
“It’s kind of sad for me to see that people I work with and myself, we are really judged.
“I would like to encourage people to be more thoughtful and to also focus on the positive side of what we are doing. We all sacrifice a lot, and we are all working really hard to be in that place. We are always giving 100% of what we can do every day.
“I’m only kind of seeing the messages from my close ones, the ones that I already accepted, but for sure there is a lot of hate.
“It would be nice if we can try to educate people and also maybe in the future have some solutions as, you know, using Al to make it safer for us.
“Because I feel like we can’t be on the internet and feel like kind of safe anymore. You have to really be careful about what you’re reading and who you’re following.
Players are often reluctant to take on issues like social media abuse, but Swiatek is ready to lead from the front as the best player in the women’s game and should be applauded for that.
Swiatek is not disliked and she certainly hasn’t faced the kind of hostility that has long since become the norm for Novak Djokovic, with the tennis legend used to facing hostile crowds for reasons only his detractors can explain.
Yet have we ever seen a crowd at a Grand Slam rise to their feet and cheer Swiatek over the winning line?
If we have, those occasions have been rare and maybe tennis fans get to know more about this compelling athlete, the love she deserves will start to come her way.
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