"It's very xenophobic coded": WTA Finals Commentator sparks fury for insinuating Iga Swiatek only has fans in Poland
WTA
Iga Swiatek returned to her rampant mood in defeating Coco Gauff seeing off the US Open champion and continuing her Head to Head brilliance at the WTA Finals on Wednesday 6-0, 7-5. But the commentator on the match courted some criticism linked to the World No.2's nationality.
Swiatek coupled with her win over Marketa Vondrousova moved into the semi-finals from the Chetumal Group and with enthusiastic Polish fans in the crowd for the 22-year-old, the commentator said: "If only Iga Swiatek could find some way to garner some support outside of Poland."
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This was clipped up on social media and gained wide spread criticism with some comparing it to how Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep also get treated.
"We used to hear similar things with Halep/Romanians. It's very xenophobic coded. You wouldn't see such comments about British/American/Spanish fans...," a fan commented.
"This is giving Novak with Serbians (which still happens to this day). Is it their fault their people are passionate and follow them around the world? Also I'm neither Polish or Serbian and I love them both so what now?," another fan chimed in.
While others said that the narrative should shift from 'forcing' Coco Gauff on fans as the next Serena Williams and give appreciation to Iga Swiatek also as well as believing that due to the commentator being American that he said this due to Gauff being defeated by the Pole.
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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