Iga Swiatek admits to taking MTO due to tiredness

Jonas78 said:
Yeah exactly, so many players exploit this rule, and suddenly Iga is the bad one for at least being honest.
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We could go back to the 70s and have players tap out or get out there and play. No signaling to the umpire that I need a message on the next change over.

Each time I suggest these types of things though I get called the "hangem' sherif" like my position on getting rid of excuses on positive doping tests.
 
LOBALOT said:
We could go back to the 70s and have players tap out or get out there and play. No signaling to the umpire that I need a message on the next change over.

Each time I suggest these types of things though I get called the "hangem' sherif" like my position on getting rid of excuses on positive doping tests.
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Its not easy.

You wont get rid of doping by ever increasing the punishment, just like there is very little correlation between crime rate and severity of punishment between countries. Norway (my country) has relatively low crime rates although we have relatively mild punishments.

I think its correct to seperate between intent and negligence, as with any crime. I dont believe introducing a zero tolerance policy with severe punishment will do anything good.

But its difficult, no doubt. I dont know what the best solution is.
 
Jonas78 said:
Its not easy.

You wont get rid of doping by ever increasing the punishment, just like there is very little correlation between crime rate and severity of punishment between countries.

I think its correct to seperate between intent and negligence, as with any crime. I dont believe introducing a zero tolerance policy with severe punishment will do anything good.

But its difficult, no doubt. I dont know what the best solution is.
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I didn't say increasing punishment. I said eliminate excuses.

You are also comparing this to crimes and a penal system. It is not. It is a club (ATP, WTA) of which players sign a membership agreement to not do certain things like taking banned substances.

If a player tests positive then suspend them as they broke their agreement. No more concocted stories.
 
LOBALOT said:
I didn't say increasing punishment. I said eliminate excuses.

You are also comparing this to crimes and a penal system. It is not. It is a club (ATP, WTA) of which players sign a membership agreement to not do certain things like taking banned substances.

If a player tests positive then suspend them as they broke their agreement. No more concocted stories.
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I dont believe that everyone with a positive test is doping with intent. Imo there should be mitigating factors although you test positive. Banning someone for 2 years could possibly end their careers, i dont think anything good will come out of a completely black/white policy.
 
anyway-benedict-townsend.gif
 
Connor35 said:
Her amazing tennis game, her movement, her ability to come back (highest winning % after losing the first set).
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You mean she had amazing endurance during the 2024 season? And now she was tired and had to call a fake MTO?

Totally unrelated, but does anyone know of a drug that helps with endurance?
 
jm1972 said:
You mean she had amazing endurance during the 2024 season? And now she was tired and had to call a fake MTO?

Totally unrelated, but does anyone know of a drug that helps with endurance?
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Even with her brief suspension during the Asian swing, Iga played more 2024 matches than any WTA player (73 vs. Aryna's 70, probably because she won many more tournaments than Aryna).

Plus United Cup is a different beast -- you're playing each countries #1 player every match, and also playing some mixed doubles. So it's more tennis and more rigorous than a standard tournament.
 
The first time this practice really pissed me off that I can remember was when Azarenka left the court for an "anxiety attack" at the Aussie open when down to Sloan Stephens. That was at least a decade ago and its only gotten much worse since then.
 
insideguy said:
The first time this practice really pissed me off that I can remember was when Azarenka left the court for an "anxiety attack" at the Aussie open when down to Sloan Stephens. That was at least a decade ago and its only gotten much worse since then.
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One of the funniest things I saw was azarenka moaning to the umpire about putinsova doing just that to her.

All I could I think was yeah pot kettle, because that's exactly what you'd do and indeed did do in a major final.

No time for her either, but she is one of the best returners on the wta tour.
 
Bill Lobsalot said:
A really cold handshake with Coco too. There's not much to like about Iga.
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No, there's not. but that did not some from "fans" from going overboard selling her as the Second Coming, praising everything about her, including her crappy, self-interested personality.
vokazu said:
Iga barely gave Coco a nice handshake. What a sore loser Iga is. Yuck.

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She's always been a sore loser--who has been promoted to believe she's a GOAT in the making, so she likely believes she should win everything, and is extremely bitter when that does not happen.
Rosstour said:
And the PED stuff is obviously not helping. Many fans might think it's irrelevant but I bet the other players don't
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Oh, i'm sure after having to endure years of the tennis media and certain little cult of fans selling her as the GOAT-to-be, the PED exposure gives her opponents fuel to send her stumbling in defeat out of every court she enters.
jm1972 said:
She needs to work on not being a terrible sportsperson.
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I doubt that will ever happen. She's the most entitled female player on tour.
 
Jonas78 said:
I dont believe that everyone with a positive test is doping with intent. Imo there should be mitigating factors although you test positive. Banning someone for 2 years could possibly end their careers, i dont think anything good will come out of a completely black/white policy.
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First I didn't say anything about 2 years but yes a positive test should result in a sanction of adequate duration to deter doping. Right now there is no deterence whatsoever as we have 2 #1 players right now that are dopers and laughing their way to the bank.

However, just looking at the contents of this post and questions about Iga's lack of ethical behavior who other than the Polish WADA chief would buy her story/excuse?

How many Lance Armstrongs denying doping and governing bodies believing him only to years later have him fess up?

Following your not black or white analogy all these "other factors" were taken into account allowing a doper to cheat without penalty.

Athletes are responsible for what they put into their body. Not knowing is no excuse. Not knowing the source of what you eat is no excuse.
 
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THUNDERVOLLEY said:
No, there's not. but that did not some from "fans" from going overboard selling her as the Second Coming, praising everything about her, including her crappy, self-interested personality.

She's always been a sore loser--who has been promoted to believe she's a GOAT in the making, so she likely believes she should win everything, and is extremely bitter when that does not happen.

Oh, i'm sure after having to endure years of the tennis media and certain little cult of fans selling her as the GOAT-to-be, the PED exposure gives her opponents fuel to send her stumbling in defeat out of every court she enters.

I doubt that will ever happen. She's the most entitled female player on tour.
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Sounds like Nadal, which iga looks up to.
 
All this discussion of not black and white and the need for excuses...

I was trying to think if I could come up with a player that was busted for doping that later was proven as not having been one?

I am sure the number is way less than the number of dopers who submitted an excuse and was given leniency by governing bodies who accepted the made up story and then later the player admitted they were a doper during their career.

Right now we have 2 #1 dopers and a sport that has questions swirling around doping in it. The discussion is backwards it should be approached from extenuating circumstances like drugs accidentally spilled in pasta to more around supporting those players that are clean by taking these stories out of the picture.
 
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ratherlosethanpush said:
One of the funniest things I saw was azarenka moaning to the umpire about putinsova doing just that to her.

All I could I think was yeah pot kettle, because that's exactly what you'd do and indeed did do in a major final.

No time for her either, but she is one of the best returners on the wta tour.
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I remember that so clearly to this day that Azarenka thing always stuck with me. Cause she was getting spanked and just like started hyper ventilating and left the court. And Stephens is sitting there asking the official can she do that? And I dont think the official even knew. She was gone a long time too. And I dont think they even deducted a point. She went on to come back and win that match.
 
insideguy said:
I remember that so clearly to this day that Azarenka thing always stuck with me. Cause she was getting spanked and just like started hyper ventilating and left the court. And Stephens is sitting there asking the official can she do that? And I dont think the official even knew. She was gone a long time too. And I dont think they even deducted a point. She went on to come back and win that match.
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That sort of crap is awful. They should eliminate medical timeouts. If it's just a flesh wound fight through it. Otherwise you lose the match.
 
I used to root for her, until her multiple Jumping Jack episodes. Then all her other traits started showing up as mentioned here. Impossible to root for her. Also not finding her strokes esthetically pleasant to watch, despite them being effective when they're on. Even her ready position while receiving serves looks rather awkward to me.
 
Bill Lobsalot said:
A really cold handshake with Coco too. There's not much to like about Iga.
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Yup, was in the stadium with my son, his first live pro-tennis match. Regrettably, I had to talk to him about gamesmanship 3 times during Iga's performance. The handshake was the capper. Really disappointing stuff.

Hubie taking a shoe change late in the 3rd was another disappointment.
 
yokied said:
Yup, was in the stadium with my son, his first live pro-tennis match. Regrettably, I had to talk to him about gamesmanship 3 times during Iga's performance. The handshake was the capper. Really disappointing stuff.

Hubie taking a shoe change late in the 3rd was another disappointment.
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Hubie is low-key an .
 
placebo said:
At the United Cup Finals before she was about to serve to stay in the match at 4-6 4-5 down against Coco Gauff when the American had all the momentum, Iga Swiatek took an MTO. Some thought it was related to her other MTO taken against Boulter the other day. Others supposed, perhaps gamesmanship. Now Swiatek has admitted that she was tired when she called the physio, not injured.

GgibyVqWUAAmFlu.jpeg
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Where do you see the admission?
 
vokazu said:
Iga barely gave Coco a nice handshake. What a sore loser Iga is. Yuck.

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She does not follow Nadal's sportsmanship handshake after a loss, Fed, Djokovic or Serena, Steffi sportsmanship "at the net" after they lose to a rival. I did say at the net, not post-game news conferences. Iga is isolating herself as most WTA players will go out of their way to communicate with her in the locker room and exos.
 
a10best said:
She does not follow Nadal's sportsmanship handshake after a loss, Fed, Djokovic or Serena, Steffi sportsmanship "at the net" after they lose to a rival. I did say at the net, not post-game news conferences. Iga is isolating herself as most WTA players will go out of their way to communicate with her in the locker room and exos.
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I would like to see Iga playing Osaka, with a lot of this kind of issues going on.
For instance, to be even with Iga, Osaka could ask for MTOs because she is bored or depressed.
 
Sudacafan said:
I would like to see Iga playing Osaka, with a lot of this kind of issues going on.
For instance, to be even with Iga, Osaka could ask for MTOs because she is bored or depressed.
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OK, but what if the Osaka return of serve Thigh Slap leads to self injury is that a recovery MTO or a medical MTO?
 
a10best said:
She does not follow Nadal's sportsmanship handshake after a loss, Fed, Djokovic or Serena, Steffi sportsmanship "at the net" after they lose to a rival. I did say at the net, not post-game news conferences. Iga is isolating herself as most WTA players will go out of their way to communicate with her in the locker room and exos.
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Nadal is pretty salty too at the net like Iga.
 
BallisticMissileFonseca said:
I thought you were joking but...
www.essentiallysports.com

Iga Swiatek’s Closeness With Psychologist Becomes Unheard Reason Behind Her Coaching Split, Per Renowned Journalist

Iga Swiatek's split with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski has prompted a steady response from journalists who opined probable reasons for her decision.
www.essentiallysports.com
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On the show Breaking Point, it basically showcases how much control Daria has over her life, including how she gets her hair cut.

They also go on vacations together. This is not a normal psychologist-client relationship at all.
 
It’s always better to say that she was tired. She’s a lady, and she won’t say she needed to take a dump, you know?
 
placebo said:
On the show Breaking Point, it basically showcases how much control Daria has over her life, including how she gets her hair cut.

They also go on vacations together. This is not a normal psychologist-client relationship at all.
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I'd put myself in there.
 
That’s a pretty interesting article, but there is speculation sprinkled in, it seems. But splitting with a coach who has led you through four grand slams seems a rather dumb move to me!
 
The United cup gives out virtually no points. It invites the richest players, and PAYS them to play regardless of the results.
It is basically an exhibition match that gives out a few points and money to people who do not need it.
You can't really cheat in such an event.
 
WYK said:
The United cup gives out virtually no points. It invites the richest players, and PAYS them to play regardless of the results.
It is basically an exhibition match that gives out a few points and money to people who do not need it.
You can't really cheat in such an event.
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Virtually no points is completely wrong and I must object.

At max you can win 500 points for 5 matches so it's a 500 level event. Now I would not call it no points at all.
 
BallisticMissileFonseca said:
I thought you were joking but...
www.essentiallysports.com

Iga Swiatek’s Closeness With Psychologist Becomes Unheard Reason Behind Her Coaching Split, Per Renowned Journalist

Iga Swiatek's split with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski has prompted a steady response from journalists who opined probable reasons for her decision.
www.essentiallysports.com
Click to expand...

placebo said:
On the show Breaking Point, it basically showcases how much control Daria has over her life, including how she gets her hair cut.

They also go on vacations together. This is not a normal psychologist-client relationship at all.
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It's a well-known fact in Poland. I mean, have you seen how she behaves in matches? Definitely like a gf, not a psychologist.

Of course it's not the nature of relationship that it's problematic, but the ethical side and the age difference/when it started.
 
jm1972 said:
It's a well-known fact in Poland. I mean, have you seen how she behaves in matches? Definitely like a gf, not a psychologist.

Of course it's not the nature of relationship that it's problematic, but the ethical side and the age difference/when it started.
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As a huge Iga fan, that's my biggest issue. Daria is fist-pumping more than her coaches and the rest of her box.
You'd think a psychologist would (should) be the most disinterested in results. (Or at least act that way).
 
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