"About time someone calls Iga Swiatek out, too much gamesmanship" - Fans react to Danielle Collins slamming Pole's 'disruptive' habit in Olympics QF

Danielle Collins voicing her frustration with Iga Swiatek's tendency to hold up her opponent's serve has sparked a discussion among tennis fans. The controversial incident took place during the duo's blockbuster quarterfinal clash at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

With a place in the semifinals on the line, Swiatek extended her dominance at Roland Garros by clinching the opening set 6-1. Although Collins bounced back to claim the second set 6-2, the World No. 1 rushed away to a 4-1 lead in the third set before the American retired from the match with an injury.

Amid the drama-filled encounter, one moment of controversy occurred when Danielle Collins expressed her annoyance with Iga Swiatek's habit of holding up her racket to delay the opponent's serve.

"There's no one behind me. Play at the server's pace," Danielle Collins said.

Tennis fans applauded Collins for calling out the Pole's "annoying" gamesmanship, expressing their displeasure with her tactics.

"About time someone calls her out. Iga engages in way too much gamesmanship, it’s one of the reasons why I never could like her as a player. Despite her being a very good player. This rubs me the wrong way," one fan commented.

"Iga does that all the time and it’s really annoying. Glad she got called out on it," another fan chimed in.

"Iga is notorious for this especially when momentum is shifting and she’s losing. I don’t like it. I think other players should call her out for this," said another.

Several fans also cited previous instances of the World No. 1 using similar tactics in crucial moments during her clashes with Jessica Pegula and Naomi Osaka.

"When iga was doing this to pegula at sf in montreal last year, pegula mouthed "every f**king time,"" one fan posted.

"This is not the first, second or even third time she‘s cheating when someone‘s serving. she‘s done it to pegula and watson esp w that racket tap yet she cries when crowds cheer opponents during points loool," another fan wrote.

"Iga does this a lot (just like her idol Nadal) especially in crucial moments like a break point. She did it during the Osaka match too," said another.

Fans continued to lambast Iga Swiatek for her "disruptive" habit, questioning why she resorted to such tactics given her clear dominance on clay.

"In this specific case, Danielle is totally right. The problem is that Iga is just standing there looking as if she’s ready to serve. But then when the server starts the movement, she suddenly puts her hand up because she’s not completely done with whatever (mental?) preparation she wants to do. This can be very disruptive to the server," one fan argued.

"She takes the pi**. No need to behave like this when you’re already so much better than everyone else on clay," another fan contended.

"I told Iga Swiatek she didn’t have to be insincere about my injury... I don't need that fakeness" - Danielle Collins after Paris Olympics QF

Danielle Collins and Iga Swiatek at Paris Olympics (Source: Getty)

After retiring from their quarterfinal clash at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Danielle Collins delivered a lengthy lecture to Iga Swiatek that appeared to leave the Pole stumped.

Collins later revealed that she had urged the World No. 1 to refrain from being "insincere" about her injury, asserting that players often present a different image in public compared to their behavior in private. The American also emphasized that she had no patience for any "fakeness."

"I told Iga she didn’t have to be insincere about, you know, my injury. There’s a lot that happens on camera, and there are a lot of people with a ton of charisma and come out and are one way on camera and another way in the locker room," Danielle Collins said.

"And I just haven’t had the best experience, and I don’t really feel like anybody needs to be insincere. They can be the way that they are. I can accept that, and I don’t need that fakeness," she added.

Iga Swiatek, meanwhile, was taken aback by Danielle Collins' comments, disclosing that she has "never done anything nasty" to the American.