Cricket
French Open 2024: ‘Frustrated’ Iga Swiatek slams ‘harsh’ crowd during Naomi Osaka clash
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World No.1 Iga Swiatek did not mince words in saying that the crowd at Philippe-Chatrier made life tough for her during her French Open 2024 clash against Naomi Osaka on Wednesday, May 29. Swiatek had her fair share of ups and downs before she won the match 7-6 (7-1), 1-6, 7-5 against her Japanese opponent in just under 3 hours.
In the on-court interview after the match, she addressed the crowd, asking the audience to let the players focus on their games rather than screaming during rallies. The Polish star, in the post-match press conference, mentioned that while it’s easy to ignore crowd distractions once, it becomes hard for players when they happen repeatedly.
“I got the most frustrated when I missed a volley. One of the balls was flying to me and somebody shoutedâæ. I know that I should be more focused and not let it distract me, but at times, it’s hard. I know that French crowd can be harsh. So I don’t want to be under the radar right now,” Swiatek said.
‘Glad that I didn’t give up’
Swiatek had to fight her way out in the opening set, which went to the tie-breaker. But she fell flat on her face in the second, allowing Osaka to take the match into the deciding set. In the third set, Swiatek trailed 0-3 after which she faced a match point at 3-5, 30-40. But from there on, she broke Osaka’s service twice and had the last laugh.
“It’s hard to have any logical thoughts because, for sure, you know, it was really intense and at a really high level. And I was, you know, in huge trouble in the third set. But I managed to win the match, which is kind of abstract. But I am glad that I didn’t give up,” Swiatek said.
“Well, I did not believe that I could win. That would have been pretty naïve, you know? But that did not change the fact that I just tried to work hard to play better,” Swiatek added.
Swiatek will next be up against either Jana Fett or Marie Bouzkova in the third round.
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