"Aryna Sabalenka called the nastiest sh*t; Praise for Carlos Alcaraz" - Iga Swiatek earns fan support over statement on harsh judgment towards women

Tennis fans came out in support of Iga Swiatek over her recent claims suggesting women in sports are judged more harshly than men.

Swiatek recently criticized the media for their bias in treating male and female tennis players. She stated that women are deemed irrational for showing nerves during a match whereas expressive men are termed passionate. She told WP SportoweFakty:

"Women are judged more harshly, as if we had no control over our emotions at all. During the ATP Finals, we saw that men also react differently on the court, sometimes they are aggressive, sometimes they also cry. However, in men's tennis it is accepted and interpreted as a passion that leads to success"

The Pole's claim gained traction from tennis buffs on social media. One of the fans voiced a similar opinion using Andrey Rublev's on-court antics as an example. They said:

"This happens everyday in real life. Women are deemed emotional while men forget anger is an emotion. Women are told they’re overreacting, hysterical, controlling, stubborn, sensitive, etc. while men doing the same thing are level-headed, a good leader, etc. [Andrey] Rublev is seen as “awww” when he breaks his legs with his racket on court while no woman would ever get away with that"

Another fan opined that the tennis world would pay no heed to Iga Swiatek's complaints. The fan wrote:

"Agree women are stereotyped and their feelings undermined as simply emotional, since time immemorial. Gaslighted. But expect her statements to be undermined here, yet again. at the same time, when women assert themselves like men, they are tagged as rough and 'unladylike'"

A third fan recalled how Aryna Sabalenka was criticized by the press for her meltdown after the loss in the 2023 US Open final whereas Carlos Alcaraz's tears after the Cincinnati Open setback were appreciated. The fan wrote:

"I mean the clip of Aryna breaking the rackets after USO final went viral and she was called the nastiest sh*t as the prime example. Or Iga crying after losing in UC and getting shit on in contrast to praise for Carlos [Alcaraz] after Cincy final... there's too many examples"

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Iga Swiatek earns second year-end World No. 1 finish

Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek will finish the year 2023 as the top-ranked tennis player on the women's circuit on the back of a title-winning run at the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico.

Swiatek lost her World No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka during the US Open in September this year. She bowed out of the tournament with a fourth-round loss to Jelena Ostapenko while Sabalenka finished as a finalist. The Pole had stayed at the top spot for 75 weeks straight since April 4, 2022.

Iga Swiatek, however, returned to winning ways toward the end of the 2023 season as she won the China Open and the year-end championships. With her triumphs, she overtook Sabalenka and clinched the No. 1 year-end finish for the second time in a row.