Former Andy Murray coach joins discussion after Iga Swiatek labelled ‘most unlikeable No. 1’

Mark Petchey, former coach of Andy Murray, weighed in on a social media debate about Iga Swiatek after Chris Hasek-Watt from the Love Means Nothing podcast raised the question: “Is the Polish player the most unlikeable No. 1 in WTA history?”

Swiatek has spent 125 weeks as World No. 1 during her career, making her the seventh player with the most total weeks at the top in WTA history. The five-time Grand Slam champion held the top spot until 21 October, when Aryna Sabalenka overtook her, concluding the year as No. 1.

Mark Petchey joins heated debate on Swiatek’s public image

This season, Swiatek claimed five titles — four WTA 1000 events and her fourth French Open crown — the most titles won by any player this year. At just 23 years old, she has an impressive 22 titles from 26 finals, including five Grand Slam titles and 10 WTA 1000 trophies, as well as the 2023 WTA Finals.

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Recently, Swiatek was involved in a doping controversy related to melatonin contamination, which resulted in a one-month suspension. The incident drew parallels with Jannik Sinner’s doping case from August, in which the Italian escaped suspension. Both cases have sparked criticism within the tennis world, with accusations of preferential treatment compared to other ATP and WTA players.

During the Love Means Nothing podcast, Chris Hasek-Watt shared his take on the situation, comparing public reactions to Swiatek and Sinner: “There is nothing likeable about Iga Swiatek,” he said in a video shared on social media, claiming fans were far more supportive of the Italian than the Polish player.

“People don’t like her. People like Sinner; he’s a good guy. I’ve said before, I found him maybe a little boring, and his stardom I think is a little fabricated, but he is a good guy, he’s a likeable guy, whereas Swiatek isn’t, ok?”

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“She doesn’t know how to interact, she doesn’t know how to have fun and make people happy; she’s just like a robot. And when she got caught for the substances, I don’t think there was a lot of love for her. But again, it was another slap on the wrist.”

In response to the post on X (formerly Twitter) asking, “Is Iga Swiatek the most unlikeable #1 in WTA history?”, former Andy Murray coach Mark Petchey entered the debate with a sarcastic remark: “Hate to engage but in a world of freezing cold takes this is permafrost.”