Iga Swiatek’s Post-Match Press Interaction Raises Eyebrows

Iga Swiatek had an unusual moment during her post-match press conference after defeating Susan Lamens at the US Open on Thursday. The second seed was asked about her hair and whether she would consider adding beads, similar to what Naomi Osaka sometimes wears.

Swiatek seemed taken aback by the question and didn’t shy away from expressing her disinterest. “What kind of question is that, sorry? Why would I want to put beads in my hair? No. What’s going on?” she responded, leaving little room for interpretation. Following her statement, the reporter quietly exited the room, apparently caught off guard by her reaction.

This was not the only tense moment with the media. On Wednesday, when a reporter probed her on the double standards within sports, particularly referencing an incident involving players Taylor Townsend and Jenna Ostapenko, Swiatek expressed her reservations. “I can’t really talk about all sports because I don’t have enough knowledge. We’re focused on tennis here. I think the world has changed over the years, sure, but I was mostly concentrated on my game,” she explained, adding, “I’m probably going to catch up on the discussions later.”

“But you can’t really judge from the actions of one person in the entire community,” she concluded, indicating a nuanced view of the matter.

Swiatek’s victory over Lamens—1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4—will advance her to the third round of the tournament, where she’ll face Anna Karinskaya on Saturday.