Iga Swiatek secured her place in the Olympic tennis semifinals after Danielle Collins retired due to injury in a tense quarterfinal clash. The match was marked by controversy, with Collins accusing Swiatek of insincerity following a heated exchange at the net after the American’s retirement.
Collins, visibly upset, expressed her frustration with Swiatek’s perceived insincerity regarding her injury. “I told Iga she didn’t have to be insincere about my injury. I haven’t had the best experience and I don’t really feel like anybody needs to be insincere,” Collins stated, without elaborating on the specific cause of her anger. She added, “They can be the way that they are, and I can accept that, and I don’t need the fakeness.”
Swiatek, visibly bewildered by Collins’s accusations, expressed confusion and emphasized her respect for Collins’s career. “I would rather not get into this because this is her last year on tour,” Swiatek responded. “I haven’t had a chance actually to tell her that she had a great journey and she really played well. So, I want to give her all the respect possible.”
The match was further complicated by an incident in the third set when Collins struck a powerful backhand into Swiatek’s chest as she approached the net. Swiatek, momentarily stunned and struggling to breathe, received an apology from Collins but later complained about the lack of adequate cooling measures during the match.
Collins, visibly distressed by the extreme heat, revealed she had suffered a heat stroke the previous day and was still recovering. “I had a heat stroke. Nearly collapsed when I came off court, and I was on a medical table for three hours,” Collins explained. “I wasn’t able to receive cool water during the entire match. Didn’t have insulated bottles. I overheated. having full body convulsions and somehow played doubles.”
Despite the controversy and Collins’s retirement, Swiatek remains on track for a potential gold medal. The four-time French Open champion, currently on a 25-match winning streak at Roland Garros, will face China’s Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals.
