"People were even saying that I am not Polish": Iga Swiatek recalls flurry of hate after wearing ribbon in support of Ukraine

World number one Iga Swiatek has opened up about how she had difficulty wearing a ribbon to support Ukraine.

The 22-year-old was one of the most notable stars who showcased their support for Ukraine during Wimbledon 2022 after their conflict began with Russia in February. Swiatek was recently quoted in a report where she expressed difficulties after showing solidarity with the war-affected country.

“Recently there has been a lot of hate and a lot of comments that simply judged me,” she said. “People were even saying that I am not Polish. I think it started to generate more negative emotions than positive reactions and we decided that the ribbon wasn't the best idea anymore.

“I think if I hadn't let go of the expectations in a way and if I hadn't coped so well with the pressure at the end of the season, none of this would have happened. After the US Open, there was a time when I had to change my attitude so I could continue to develop well as a player, focus well on training and also be more free and relaxed during matches.”

“This year was different because I had two injuries that were serious and could have kept me out for a longer time if we had handled them poorly and managed everything worse. There were a lot of ups and downs when it comes to my form, and the rivalry with Aryna Sabalenka became very intense.

“I'm leaving at the beginning of next week, so these are the last days in Warsaw. The training sessions are definitely hard, and today I had one of the hardest ones. And in Abu Dhabi training will be even more intense, but there will be more time to rest as well and fewer responsibilities off the court. I think this preparation period is perfectly arranged so that I could feel good in those conditions in Australia after two weeks of playing in temperatures over 25 degrees.”