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American tennis star Danielle Collins faced backlash over her recent remarks on the 2024 Paris Olympics controversy involving Iga Swiatek. In other news, Ben Shelton drew flak after joking about seeking a job in a service shop after knowing about the high hourly labor rate.
Meanwhile, tennis legend Billie Jean King pushed back against Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek's complaints about demanding schedules. ATP Finals slammed for naming a player's group after Ilie Nastase as his alleged racial abuse incident against tennis legend Serena Williams resurfaced.
Also, Frances Tiafoe received support after allegedly being fined $120,000 for his controversial outburst directed at the chair umpire during the 2024 Shanghai Masters.
On that note, here's a recap of the top controversies from last week:
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Danielle Collins sparked outrage with her latest comments on Paris Olympics dispute with Iga Swiatek
Danielle Collins faced backlash for her recent remarks about the 2024 Paris Olympics controversy involving Iga Swiatek.
The incident occurred during their quarterfinal match, where Collins struck a backhand that hit Swiatek in the chest. Simultaneously, Collins struggled with abdominal pain, leading her to retire from the match with the score at 1-6, 6-2, 1-4.
During their interaction at the net, Collins seemed to confront Swiatek, who was visibly surprised by her comments. Later, in the post-match press conference, Collins disclosed that she had accused the Polish tennis star of feigning concern over her injury.
Months later, Collins reflected in an interview with The Athletic, admitting she could have handled the situation better and committing to self-improvement. The American tennis star also criticized the double standard in how conflicts involving women are scrutinized compared to men.
I think what happened on the court is very much just like sometimes people have friction at work. For most people, it's not on the news. I'm trying to be the best person that I can be, but that's not to say that I don't fall short of that. I could have taken a different approach and done some things differently. But we had a moment there on court," she said.
"She's not someone that I really get to see a lot at the tennis and she's very guarded with her group. We all make mistakes and fall short. And I'm just trying to put that behind me. I think when guys kind of get into a little tiff or a little bit of friction, I think that it's kind of expected. With women, it becomes this way bigger issue than it really needs to be. There's a lot of extrapolation," she added.
World No. 11 Danielle Collins recently concluded her 2024 season following her Billie Jean King Cup Finals campaign in Malaga, Spain. Collins was part of Team United States, which lost their first-round group tie 2-1 to Team Slovakia. The 30-year-old lost her singles match to Rebecca Sramkova 6-2, 7-5.
World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, on the other hand, led Team Poland to victories over Spain and Czech Republic to reach the semifinals where they will take on Team Italy on November 18.
Billie Jean King called out complaints from Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek on tennis season length
Billie Jean King criticized players like Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek for complaining about tennis’s demanding schedule while participating in lucrative exhibition events.
Alcaraz blamed the packed calendar for physical and mental fatigue during the 2024 ATP Finals, while Swiatek called the schedule "crazy" and questioned mandatory tournaments.
Speaking to the BBC, King found it hard to support their objections, pointing out the contradiction in their actions.
"It's so interesting how they always complain it's too much. They've been doing this forever by the way - but then they get a month off and they go play exhibitions," King told BBC.
"I go really? You guys said you needed the rest. Don't tell me you think the season is too long. I know if there's enough money you go and you play. It's a really tough argument for me to listen to the players," she added.
Iga Swiatek is currently competing as a part of Team Poland in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain. Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, gearing up for his Davis Cup Finals campaign (November 19-24). Alcaraz will be joining tennis legend Rafael Nadal, Pedro Martinez, Roberto Bautista Agut, Marcel Granollers, and captain David Ferrer in representing Team Spain.
They will face Team Netherlands on November 19, vying for a spot in the semifinals, where they could encounter either Team Germany or Team Canada. Notably, this tournament marks Nadal's farewell appearance.
Ben Shelton came under fire for comment on working in service shop after car repair cost shock
Ben Shelton faced criticism after joking about applying for a job at a service shop after being shocked by a $300 hourly car repair rate. Sharing a selfie on his Instagram story, the American tennis star appeared shocked while sitting in his car.
In the caption, Shelton expressed disbelief at the high hourly labor rate and humorously asked if the shop was hiring, hinting he might consider applying.
"This service shop just told me their hourly labor rate is 300/hour when I asked them to do some work on my car. So I said do you have an application I wanna apply for a job. Crazy world out here," Ben Shelton wrote.
Currently, Ben Shelton is preparing to represent the United States in the upcoming Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain, from November 19-24. He will join teammates Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Rajeev Ram, Austin Krajicek, and captain Robert Bryan in the tournament.
ATP Finals received criticism for naming group after Ilie Nastase as his alleged racial abuse incident resurfaced
The ATP faced criticism for naming a player group at the year-end championships after Romanian tennis legend Ilie Nastase, following the resurfacing of his allegedly racially insensitive comments about Serena Williams and her unborn daughter from 2017.
During the 2017 Billie Jean King Cup press conference, Nastase allegedly made a racial comment, speculating about the complexion of Williams' unborn baby and asking if it would be "chocolate with milk?", leading to the American tennis legend's disappointment.
The Illie Nastase group featured players such as eventual champion Jannik Sinner, runner-up Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, and Alex de Minaur.
A fan recently called attention to Nastase's past remarks, questioning the ATP's choice to honor him at the prestigious event.
"Feels really weird that there's a group at the ATP World Tour Finals named after Ilie Nastase, not gonna' lie..." the fan wrote on X.
Frances Tiafoe's $120,000 fine for controversial umpire outburst in the 2024 Shanghai Masters 2R sparks debate
Frances Tiafoe received sympathy after reportedly being fined $120,000 for his outburst against chair umpire Jimmy Pinoargote during his 7-5, 5-7, 6-7(5) loss to Roman Safiullin in the second round of the 2024 Shanghai Masters last month.
The incident occurred when Tiafoe was penalized for a time violation in the third-set tiebreak, losing his first serve. Following the match, Tiafoe angrily directed profanities at Pinoargote.
"F**k you, man! F**k you! Seriously, man. You f**ked me out of the f***ing match," Tiafoe said.
Consequently, the ATP Fines Committee reportedly fined the American tennis star $60,000 for verbal abuse and an additional $60,000 for aggravated behavior.
Fans expressed shock on social media, with one comparing Tiafoe's fine to Alexander Zverev's $40,000 penalty for his 2022 Mexican Open outburst.
"For beating the umpire’s chair, while the umpire was still in the chair, Zverev got fined I think like $40k. This is wild…Frances didn’t attack the umpire," a fan posted.
Frances Tiafoe's 2024 season came to an end after his first-round defeat at the Paris Masters, where he lost 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 3-6 to French player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
