3 controversies Iga Swiatek was involved in on the same day at United Cup ft. Coco Gauff, Danielle Collins

Five-time Major champion Iga Swiatek's hopes of winning a title while representing Poland went up in smoke yet again. She and her team went down to the USA in the final of the United Cup on Sunday (January 5). This marked the second straight year that they had to contend themselves with the runner-up trophy.

Swiatek was beaten by Coco Gauff in straight sets in her singles match and while Hubert Hurkacz put up a fight, he lost to Taylor Fritz in three sets, which sealed the deal for the Americans. As is the case when a trophy is on the line, emotions are high right from the start.

There were a few moments that set the media abuzz during the showdown for the title. Swiatek found herself in the middle of a few controversial moments in the final, and here's a look at three such incidents:

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#3 - Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins' beef is reignited at the United Cup

Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins at the Paris Olympics 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins' spat started at last year's Paris Olympics. The American was forced to retire in the third set of their quarterfinal clash due to an injury. She had a quick chat with her younger rival when they met to shake hands at the net, and called her "insincere".

The two later elaborated on their sides during their post-match interview, and it appeared as if they had moved past the incident. However, their interaction at the United Cup proved the contrary. When members of both the teams met to shake hands before the start of the final, Collins gave Swiatek a questionable handshake.

Collins' reaction makes it look like she still harbors some ill will towards Swiatek, despite claiming that their Olympic incident was taken out of context and overblown. While the American was part of the winning team at this year's United Cup, she didn't get the opportunity to play this time.

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#2 - Coco Gauff's celebration and Iga Swiatek's frosty handshake in response

Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek at the United Cup 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Coco Gauff unveiled a new way of celebrating her win at the United Cup. After handing Iga Swiatek a 6-4, 6-4 loss, the 20-year-old mimicked digging up with a shovel with her racquet. She later stated that this symbolized digging deep to win her matches.

"Honestly, I think it started, like, in my match against China. I was playing (Zhang) Shuai, and she was playing really great tennis. You know, he (Kudla) was, like, great digging, keep digging. Then the shovel celebration came from him. I just kind of took it and ran with it. That was the theme of the week for me," - Coco Gauff said.

This was the first time Gauff won back-to-back matches against Swiatek. She remains on the backfoot in this rivalry despite the win as the Pole still leads it 11-3 after their latest tussle. However, this could indicate that the days of this being a one-sided match-up are finally over, and the reason behind her celebration.

Gauff's style may have been too on the nose for Swiatek, who offered her a rather cold handshake at the net. The two are usually courteous to each other, if not friendly, after the match. This kicked off a wave of criticism for the Pole, who was accused of poor sportsmanship.

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#1 - Iga Swiatek's reasoning behind her medical timeout sparks backlash

Iga Swiatek at the United Cup 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Iga Swiatek led Coco Gauff 4-2 in the second set during their United Cup showdown. The American then went on a three-game run to go 5-4 up and put pressure on her opponent, who then had to serve to stay in the match.

However, Swiatek took a medical timeout before resuming play after a while. Gauff didn't let the interruption affect her momentum and broke the Pole's serve one last time to win the match.

The assumption was that Swiatek took the break to deal with an injury concern, which also bothered her during her quarterfinal match with Katie Boulter. During her post-match interview, she spilled the beans on the same. She stated that the timeout wasn't for the injury per se but because she felt exhausted.

"Well, taping wasn't a different leg, but nothing happened really. Like, I was just tired. You know, the volume at the beginning of the tournament especially has been pretty big, so yeah, but honestly, like, this really, it's all good," Iga Swiatek said. "Well, for sure, you know, I wasn't fresh today, but I'll be good. So nothing happens."

Swiatek played both singles and mixed doubles during most of Poland's ties at this year's United Cup. Medical timeouts are usually designated for injuries, so she received some flak for taking one for exhaustion. For comparison, Gauff also played the same number of matches, five singles and two mixed doubles.

After a whirlwind campaign at the United Cup, which ended with another tough loss in the final, Swiatek will aim to regroup physically and mentally for the Australian Open. A semifinal finish in 2022 has been her best result in Melbourne thus far, and the only time she made it past the fourth round as well. She will be keen to improve her record Down Under with a deep run this time.