Swiatek shocked at 'such harsh judgements' post ball boy incident

INDIAN WELLS: World number two Iga Swiatek said she was not proud of the way she vented her frustration at Indian Wells, where she nearly hit a ball boy after smashing a ball into the ground, but added that she did not expect to receive “such harsh judgements”.

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The five-time Grand Slam champion was criti- cized heavily over the incident, which occurred during her 7-6(1) 1-6 6-3 semi-final defeat by eventual champion Mirra Andreeva on Friday.

“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,” Swiatek posted on Instagram on Monday.

“I immediately apologised to the ball boy, we made eye contact, and nodded to each other when I expressed regret that it happened near him.

“I've seen many players bounce balls in frus- tration, and frankly, I didn’t expect such harsh judgements.”