After her third-round match against Camila Osorio ended in just 40 minutes, Iga Swiatek had a plan in mind. Instead of returning to her hotel and catching some rest, she stayed back on the Lotus Court at the China Open to spend some time with her fans. Already, she was getting love from them in the form of wishes, gifts, and support. However, when she lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 to Emma Navarro in the round of 16, she saw the other side of fandom. But with Mental Health Day on October 10, she took this opportunity to share a valuable lesson.

The 24-year-old shared an Instagram story just a day after her loss to Navarro. In the collage, the Polish star shared multiple screenshots of comments from her followers. These included some harsh jabs like: “Mediocre player,” “Very pathetic,” and “You have no discipline, no talent, no ability to make adjustments, no room to play a different style, no mental strength…it’s honestly shocking.” However, she didn’t take the criticism to her head. She simply wrote, “Nowadays, this is a sad part of our reality in sports. Bots. Betting. But also ‘fans.'”

She further added, “It is worth considering, especially since World Mental Health Day is just a few days away.” Seemingly, after Swiatek’s recent good form and the Korea Open win in September, many bettors would have predicted that she would clinch the trophy in Beijing. But her defeat had brought on unprecedented loss.

Still, she had previously stated the stark contrast between her Polish followers and Chinese fans. “Yeah, for sure there’s a big difference. I feel like they’re much more enthusiastic and, like, positive. They give you their support no matter what’s happening,” she said. “Even if you say, ‘Okay, I got to go,’ they still shout positive things to you, which maybe sometimes wouldn’t happen in other countries. I really appreciate everything that they’re doing for me. Overall, the support is amazing. I think the biggest kind of that I get on the whole tour. I don’t really know why, but people are really nice. I really appreciate that.”

Throughout the first half of this season, the former World No.1 struggled to shine in most of the WTA events. She couldn’t even win a single title. And so, fan criticism was high for her despite the brilliant Polish player’s record that already puts her among the greats of the game, including her multiple French Open wins at Roland Garros backed up by a US Open win in 2022 and a long reign as world No. 1.

Back in May, she took to Instagram to talk about her mindset and how the criticism could take a toll on the players. “Working on oneself isn’t something you achieve once and keep forever. Sometimes we take two steps forward and one step back,” she wrote.“I’m facing new elements of this puzzle all the time: circumstances change, my experiences evolve, I evolve, opponents evolve, and I must constantly adapt. It’s never easy, and it’s particularly challenging for me right now.”

But she is not alone. In June, Jessica Pegula shared a few messages to her followers from hecklers. Then, she had asked if any other sport faces the same volume of hate and abuse. While the WTA players have repeatedly been targeted, they have also risen up to face them.

Swiatek, too, has previously fought back criticism when she returned to form at Wimbledon. Iga Swiatek’s performance at the grass major has remained a question mark over the years. Hence, no one was considering her as a potential winner. However, despite her subpar form in 2025 earlier, she proved everyone wrong with a scintillating and dominating campaign. In the clash, she bested American WTA talent Amanda Anisimova with a double bagel in just 57 minutes on the Center Court.

After the victory, Swiatek came up with the best possible reply for them. “I hope they will just leave me alone and let me do my job because obviously you can see that we know what we’re doing, and I have the best people around me.”

It is important to note that behind the sporting story is a personal tale that needs to be treated with care. After a shocking setback in Beijing, the World No. 2 will make her debut at the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan. It will be interesting to see if she will go on a deep run to prepare for the WTA Finals in Riyadh next month.