Iga Świątek has once again proved why she is the ‘Queen of the Clay’ by securing a place in the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open. The Polish tennis star thumped the former US Open champion Emma Raducanu in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3, in the Porsche Arena. However, before her quarterfinal victory, the 4-time singles Grand Slam champion issued a candid statement about her British opponent that has now caught the attention of fans, who accused Świątek of mocking Raducanu.

In her pre-match press conference, Świątek was asked if she considers Raducanu as someone she would look forward to playing many more matches with, given their past encounter in Stuttgart. The Pole answered by saying, “I mean, for fans, for sure, it’s nice.” She was then questioned, “For you also nice to look forward to?”

In her honest response, the current number 1 player opened up about how her quarterfinal match against the Brit doesn’t really ‘matter’ to her as there are many ‘tough’ matchups every week on the tour. She said, “Well, I mean, we have plenty of players to play against on WTA Tour, so I wouldn’t say Emma is the one specific that I’m looking forward to play with, because we have tough matchups, you know, every week. Doesn’t really matter for me.”

Taking note of her remarks at the Stuttgart Open, a flurry of fans accused Świątek of throwing shade at Raducanu as they dropped their reactions on social media.

Fans react to Iga Świątek’s comments about Emma Raducanu at the Stuttgart Open

After a user brought to light Świątek’s remarks on Twitter, other fans were quick to flock to the comments section of the social media post. While suggesting that the Pole mocked the 2021 US Open champion, a user asserted that Świątek is in her “shady era.”

As Raducanu is currently sitting outside the top 300 rankings on the tour due to her past injury woes, one fan said that the Pole doesn’t really ‘care’ about her British opponent.

Similarly, other fans also claimed that Świątek’s matchup against the current number 303 player didn’t really matter to her.

Meanwhile, a user also asserted that the 4-time singles Grand Slam champion must be ‘annoyed’ by all the hype surrounding a WTA player who has won one major title.

What do you think of Świątek’s candid comments about her British opponent at the Stuttgart Open? Also, what do you think of the fans accusing the Polish tennis star of throwing shade at Emma Raducanu? Let us know in the comments section.