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Iga Swiatek's gesture of raising her hand to stop a point during her Qatar Open final against Elena Rybakina has prompted tennis fans to draw comparisons to Justine Henin.
Swiatek took on Rybakina in a blockbuster title clash at the WTA 1000 event in Doha. The Pole delivered a stellar performance in the final to claim a 7-6(8), 6-2 win over the Kazakh and clinch her third consecutive title at the tournament.
One fan later took to social media and recounted a moment from the final where the World No. 1 held up her hand to halt the point.
However, her gesture went unnoticed by the chair umpire, and the point proceeded as normal. Despite not being prepared, Iga Swiatek ended up winning the point and breaking Elena Rybakina's serve on the following point.
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"At 1-1 40-40, Iga held her hand up to stop the point, Cicak didn’t see it, they played the point, and Iga won it and then broke in the next point…," the fan posted.
Tennis fans couldn't help but draw parallels to Justine Henin's controversial 'hand incident' during the 2003 French Open semifinal against Serena Williams.
"SHES JUSTINE RE INCARNATED!!! I THOUGGHT I RECOGNISED THE CAP!!!!!!!" one fan posted.
"NOT HENIN AGAIN," another fan chimed in.
Meanwhile, one fan expressed their frustration with the four-time Grand Slam champion, claiming that Swiatek had a tendency to make such gestures during pressure points in a match.
The Pole has faced such scrutiny previously as well, being forced to defend herself against criticism for not playing to the pace of the server during her campaign at the 2023 Cincinnati Open.
"She does this all the time on pressure points and it's so bad, like it's such a bad trait I'm shocked no one has said anything," the fan commented.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Iga Swiatek after defeating Elena Rybakina to win the Qatar Open title: "I'm happy that I just focused on the right things because it was the key"
Iga Swiatek was elated after downing Elena Rybakina to win the Qatar Open title, expressing satisfaction with her mindset and dedication during her campaign in Doha
"I'm happy that I kept working and just didn't really think about too many stuff during this week and just focused on the right things because I think it was the key," Iga Swiatek said during the trophy presentation.
The World No. 1 also admitted that the pressure and expectations that accompanied the pursuit of her third consecutive title at the tournament had "stressed" her out.
"Coming here and being kind of the double-defending champion wasn't easy. So I'm happy that I have this experience already, and hopefully I'm going to use it," Swiatek said.
"Oh my god guys. You don’t even know hard it was not to think about it. I came here and was pretty stressed because I felt the expectations. I wanted to do everything step by step like I always do. I’m really happy. I’m really proud of myself," she said.
Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina will both be in action at the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships next, which commences on Sunday, February 18.
