April 28, 2025- a power grid failure across Spain left the tournament organizers at the Madrid Open scrambling, as they had to keep the venue running and ensure all security arrangements and player comfort were maintained. In such a situation, how would a tournament liaison respond if a member of a player’s entourage demanded warm chicken? It may sound outlandish, but that is what Madrid Open’s player liaison and former World No. 5, Daniela Hantuchova, has claimed former World No. 1 Iga Swiatek did during her stint at Casa La Magica last year.

“And then, the next morning, I got a request from Iga Swiatek’s mental coach asking for warm chicken at 11 a.m,” said Hantuchova during the Kanal Plus Podcast. “I mean, I could start making a fire on a stone for you. Can’t you see what’s happening here? We were just glad to get by. There was still no electricity, but they already wanted warm chicken at 11 a.m. before the match.”

The person Hantuchova is referring to here is Swiatek’s mental health coach, Daria Abramowicz, who has been an integral part of Swiatek’s team since the Pole’s first Grand Slam title at the 2020 French Open. She has often been in charge of Swiatek’s meals and sleep patterns, and her request for a specific food item aligns with Swiatek’s pre-match routine, which usually includes rice and chicken. The Pole had her match against Diana Shnaider on the day in question; however, as Hantuchova claimed, the external situations should have merited more consideration from Swiatek and her team.

As far as the Madrid Open stint last year is concerned, asking for a warm chicken is not the last of Swiatek’s awkward requests that Hantuchova had to handle. The former World No. 5 also spoke about an incident where the Pole had brought her unwashed laundry to her, which the former found a bit odd.

“I also had the laundry incident, when Iga personally brought me her clothes and asked me what to do with them,” said Hantuchova in the podcast. “I can’t imagine going up to someone from an older generation and saying, ‘Here’s my laundry, so wash it for me.’ And I actually went and dealt with it.”

Hantuchova did not hold back on the WTA players’ overall attitude either, claiming that top female players were often reluctant to fulfill their sponsorship obligations by failing to attend corporate meet-and-greets. The Mutua Madrilena has been the chief sponsor of the Madrid Open over the years, and main sponsors often have the privilege of speaking with the top players for a stipulated period in VIP lounges or corporate boxes.

“They want to earn more and think they don’t have to do anything for tennis,” said Hantuchova in the same podcast.

While tournament officials are not in the habit of criticizing star players in public, unique circumstances merit an exception. Back at the 2021 Australian Open, a group of players expressed frustration with the food quality and the hard quarantine rules Australia imposed during the pandemic. When the issue reached public attention, tournament director Craig Tiley did not publicly admonish any specific player but calmly stated that the enhanced protocols were “the price” everyone had to pay, given the situation.

While Hantuchova has had some things to say about the top players, the Madrid Open has seen its fair share of controversies as well. The most notable of them all was not allowing the finalist pairs from the women’s doubles event back in 2023, a lineup that included Coco Gauff partnering with Jessica Pegula and Victoria Azarenka partnering with Beatriz Haddad Maia. The tournament’s decision not to allow them to speak caused backlash, prompting the CEO to issue a formal apology.

As for Hantuchova, the Slovakian player has always been an advocate for tennis players fulfilling their media duties, a commitment she has upheld throughout her career.

Daniela Hantuchova Emphasised on the Importance of Media

Being one of the prominent players of her time, Hantuchova had lucrative sponsorship deals with Nike, Rolex, and Yonex, while also fulfilling her off-court media duties, whether it was taking part in photo shoots or attending corporate meet-and-greets.

Hantuchova has always been an advocate for greater media visibility for tennis players, recognizing the media’s role in increasing players’ popularity. When Naomi Osaka withdrew from the 2021 French Open and skipped her press conference, Hantuchova made her opinions clear.

“The least you can do as a professional athlete in any sport is to show up for a press conference,” said Hantuchova in an interview with Tennis365 back in 2021. “It’s not rocket science for half and hour or an hour to talk about what you have just done and a sport you love. Without the media, we wouldn’t be earning that amount of money, it’s as simple as that.”

As a player, Hantuchova might not have title success in singles at Grand Slams, but the Slovakian player completed the Career Slam in mixed doubles, winning all four Majors in that category.