Who is the most humble player on the women’s tour? Iga Swiatek? In 2024, when she won the Italian Open, she was heard saying, “I feel like I’m playing great tennis, but that doesn’t change the fact that I just want to stay humble.” If we consider her performance on clay, she has won five Grand Slam titles so far, and guess what? Four out of them are on this surface! Highlighting this incredible record during the 2024 French Open, when Swiatek was asked if she really feels like the ‘Queen of Clay, ‘ she said, “I think it’s too early.” This, yet again, portrayed her humility. But recently, some of the fans were spotted advising her to learn some humility after seeing her reaction during her recent SF clash against Coco Gauff. Addressing those comments, tennis legend Martina Navratilova recently portrayed her support towards the Pole with a brutal dig at that fan. What did she say?

Gauff recently handed Swiatek one of the worst defeats in her career! The American took just 64 minutes to seal the deal against the defending champion by 6-1,6-1. It was her first career win over Iga Swiatek on clay. There were several moments in this match when she looked visibly upset and a bit emotional as well. For example, during the second set, Swiatek was seen covering her head with a towel as she broke down in tears during the changeover at 6-1,3-0. This image went viral instantly, and after seeing this Norwegian star, Casper Ruud stepped up by showing support towards the Pole.

He shared a tweet stating, “Hey @iga_swiatek keep your head up🙏🙏 Like millions of other people I love watching you play. Not your day today, but you inspire so many and you’ll be back stronger than ever!!😊🤩👏🎾” However, after seeing this post, a fan wrote, “I am grateful Coco did her job and moved into the Final. Iga seems to think she can be no.1 all the time, time for her to learn some humility.” Seeing this bizarre comment, Martina Navratilova replied to that fan saying, “Nasty much? Yup…” Later on, the fan commented, “No Martina, I’m honest, it’s a shame she lost her grandfather.“

As per a tennis insider named Benoit Maylin, Iga Swiatek’s grandfather passed away ahead of the Madrid Open. As per several reports, even her PR manager has also confirmed this news later on. Perhaps the fan intended to pay condolences for her loss, but the comment surrounding her humility didn’t go well with Navratilova. She came back with a reply to that fan stating, “No clue what you’re talking about regarding Iga. She has always been a humble champion and a great role model. So stop with this humility BS.”

Is it the first time that we’ve seen Navratilova showing support for Swiatek? Well, previously in May 2022, the tennis legend heaped praise on Iga Swiatek by saying, “She looks pretty unbeatable on any surface, particularly the clay now. So we have an overwhelming favourite going into the French when it was wide open last year. Clearly, the pressure is not bothering her.” She won the French Open that year and clinched a total of eight titles that year. Swiatek had in fact also secured the top spot in the singles ranking that year.

Highlighting her impressive performances throughout the season, Martina Navratilova said, “That streak was the biggest streak in a long time on the women’s tour. Iga just really dominated the tour this year and deserves to be number one. I don’t think anybody can catch her. Actually, it’s way too late now.” Fast forward three years and Swiatek is now ranked second in that list, but she could well be dropped to number three if Coco Gauff wins the Madrid Open. What did Swiatek say after this loss, though?

“Everything kind of collapsed” – Iga Swiatek’s initial reaction after facing a shocking defeat at the hands of Coco Gauff

Iga Swiatek has taken part in seven tournaments this season, and guess what? This was her fourth SF appearance this year. She has failed to go beyond that in her previous tournaments. Currently, Swiatek has a win-loss record of 26-8 this season, and looking at her incredible performances on clay, she started this match as a clear favorite. But Coco Gauff spoiled her plans!

Interesting Fact: Iga Swiatek reached the final of the Madrid Open in 2023, before clinching the title in 2024.

She made a damning self-assessment after this match and admitted that she couldn’t really get her level up in this match. “Today, for sure, everything kind of collapsed, both tennis-wise, and I feel like I wasn’t even in the right place with my feet before the shots. I wish I would have moved better because I think that would get me any opportunity to bounce back because this is usually what happens.“

Swiatek also revealed that she wasn’t really sure about what she had in her “toolbox” to counter Coco Gauff in this epic battle. “I didn’t even have a plan B because nothing was working today,” she added.

Even her opponent in this match, Gauff was heard saying that Swiatek perhaps wasn’t at her best in this match. However, she claimed that perhaps her game made the Pole feel more “uncomfortable” in this match. Do you agree with the same, though? Share your thoughts in the comment box.