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Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek challenged the journalist's questions about her performance on surfaces other than clay following the 2024 Italian Open victory. In other news, Alexander Zverev received backlash over lashing out at a ball kid during the Italian Open semifinal.
Meanwhile, Simona Halep was slammed for claiming she was innocent after the doping ban reduction. French Open criticized for not granting Dominic Thiem a wildcard ahead of retirement.
Also, Karen Khachanov was accused of violating IOC rules by sharing a Russian military symbol amid the Ukraine conflict. Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert came under fire for throwing shade at Paula Badosa for using unfair tactics during their Round of 16 clash at the Italian Open.
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On that note, here's a recap of the top controversies from last week:
Iga Swiatek addressed the criticism surrounding her dominance beyond clay courts
Iga Swiatek was incredulous when a journalist questioned why her clay court dominance hasn't extended to other surfaces.
Following her 6-2, 6-3 win over Aryna Sabalenka in the Italian Open final, Swiatek challenged the journalist’s claim that modern surfaces play similarly.
"You think the surfaces are the same?" Iga Swiatek said during her post-match press conference.
The journalist pointed out her lower win rate on non-clay surfaces, prompting Swiatek to question their firsthand experience with different court surfaces.
"Have you played on each of these surfaces?" Iga Swiatek questioned. "Have you played on each of these surfaces you're talking about? Because they're different. Because the surfaces are different."
Iga Swiatek will now participate in the upcoming French Open which will start on May 26. The Pole won the clay-court Grand Slam thrice (2020, 2022, 2023).
Alexander Zverev faced backlash for his outburst at the ball kid in the Italian Open SF
Alexander Zverev was slammed for his verbal outburst at a ball kid during his 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 semifinal victory over 29th seed Alejandro Tabilo at the 2024 Italian Open. Zverev, frustrated by what he perceived as a delay in receiving the ball, lashed out in irritation.
Watch the video below:
"Give me the ball, for f**k's sake," Zverev addressed the ball kid.
Fans were displeased with the World No. 5's behavior and criticized him on social media.
Alexander Zverev went on to defeat 21st seed Nicolas Jarry 6-4, 7-5 in the final to clinch his 22nd career title.
Simona Halep came under fire over her comments on doping suspension reduction
Simona Halep faced backlash for claiming the reduction of her nine-month doping suspension meant she "did nothing wrong."
Initially banned for four years after testing positive for Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open, her suspension was reduced by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which found the positive test was due to a contaminated supplement.
In an interview with Tennis Channel, Halep insisted she was innocent.
"So integrity is, as you said at the beginning, is probably the most important thing for everybody, and I wanted just to show the truth. I fought for this and I knew that day is going to come even if that took so long. I always respected tennis and I wanted people to know, to understand and finally to be said by CAS that I didn't do anything wrong to tennis," Halep said.
"This was the most important victory and I really have it inside, and I would keep it for all my life. Even if I went through some really, really difficult moments, now I feel good," she added.
This led to many fans criticizing her on social media for denying any wrongdoing.
French Open criticized for denying wildcard to Dominic Thiem ahead of his retirement
Dominic Thiem's exclusion from the 2024 French Open wildcard entries has drawn heavy criticism. Thiem, in his final season, was denied a wildcard despite his impressive record, including finals in 2018 and 2019. The Austrian may now need to compete in qualifying rounds.
Fans were outraged at the tournament's decision, believing Thiem deserved a better send-off given his past achievements.
Karen Khachanov sparked controversy by allegedly sharing Russian military symbol amid Ukraine conflict
Karen Khachanov faced criticism for allegedly sharing a Russian military symbol amid the Ukraine conflict. The IOC mandates Russian and Belarusian athletes to avoid displaying "military branding."
Following Russia's invasion in 2022, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee but permitted athletes to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes.
Tennis fans were angry at Khachanov for reportedly sharing the Saint George ribbon, a Russian military symbol, on social media, and called for disciplinary action from tennis authorities for violating IOC conduct rules.
Coco Gauff's tennis coach drew criticism for taking a dig at Paula Badosa
Coco Gauff's tennis coach Brad Gilbert faced criticism for indirectly calling out Paula Badosa after their fourth-round match at the 2024 Italian Open. After Gauff's 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win, Gilbert took to social media to express frustration about players catching their ball tosses to delay serves, implying Badosa might be guilty.
Tennis fans criticized Gilbert's remarks as unfair, leading to backlash on social media.
Coco Gauff's campaign at the Italian Open ended in the semifinals, where she lost 6-4, 6-3 to eventual champion Iga Swiatek.
