Tim Henman reacted to the bizarre ATP Finals incident involving Iga Swiatek.
The Pole competed at the season-ending championships in Riyadh this week and after losing to Coco Gauff, she needed to win her final group match to give herself a chance of qualifying.
Swiatek did just that as she dispatched alternate Daria Kasatkina, who replaced the injured Jessica Pegula for the loss of just one game in just 51 minutes.
But it wasn’t until her post-match press conference when the 23-year-old realised that her efforts may have been in vain and that proved to be the case.
What did Tim Henman say about the Iga Swiatek WTA Finals incident?
Iga Swiatek needed Gauff to win her final group match against Barbora Krejčíková for her to advance, but the World number three suffered a loss, and therefore Swiatek’s WTA Finals title defence is now over, despite her emphatic win against Kasatkina.
However, the Polish player did not appear to be aware of that fact and when she was told in her post-match press conference, she looked perplexed.
“Umm, you mean it didn’t matter? Why did it not? Oh, well….thanks,” she said to reporters with a smile., though clearly deflated.
Tim Henman reacted to the incident, and was surprised Swiatek was not informed of what needed to happen for her to qualify, before speaking to the media.
“I thought they usually say ignorance is bliss but it didn’t look like it went down too well. It was slightly bizarre,” the former British number one told Sky Sports.
“But a lot of times we have often said just go out and focus on the things you can control. She did such a good job in the match. But you think that after the match someone could let her know before she found out in front of the world media.”
Where will Iga Swiatek play next?
Though Swiatek’s WTA Finals title defence ended without her even making it to the semi-finals, her season is not yet over.
She has the opportunity to add one more title to her 2024 haul when she represents Poland in the Billie Jean King Cup finals.
The event will take place in Malaga and will commence on November 13. Poland will commence their campaign in the first round against Spain.
During this round Swiatek could go up against Paula Badosa, who has enjoyed a resurgence following injury issues and claimed the Citi Open title in August.
Should Poland defeat Spain, they will go up against the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals.
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