Iga Swiatek and Alexandra Eala faced off on Thursday afternoon at the 2025 Madrid Open with the former coming from a set and a break down to seal the win. But in reality it wasn't the big news story of the tie.
Journalist Ben Rothenberg brought to light a startling discovery that the WTA were using AI to alter images of the pair and not to great effect.
The WTA promoted it as expected as their match of the day with Swiatek being a former World No.1 and Eala one of the best rising stars in the sport and also a winner last time they faced off in Miami. But it wasn't to be this time.
However Rothenberg on his site Bounces pointed to several factors including specific zoomed in images. He mentioned that Swiatek's hat doesn't correspond to the one used in the actual image.
The actual hat uses the logo of her apparel sponsor but this wasn't the case by the WTA seemingly in a way to try and not use sponsors in images. But AI doesn't seem to alter it very well. This is also the same with her Technifibre racket as the altered version places her right hand against the strings when she is not touching it in the original.
She also bizarrely has her teeth yellowed instead of being white, an interesting choice and not exactly a great aesthetic to give to one of the leading players in the sport.
Eala is also different with the Nike swoosh being different in the AI version. Her sponsors have been altered in the final version and have been removed. Her fingers are also a different shade in both versions.
Rothenberg's chiming about this seemed to work as they changed the image of Swiatek but perhaps a lesson in the danger of AI.
Couldn't stop thinking about the bizarre AI mangled images that have been atop the WTA website for the last 12 hours and counting, so I wrote about them here.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) April 24, 2025
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Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
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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