Iga Swiatek found herself in a precarious situation at the 2025 Indian Wells Open when she hit a ball near a ball boy during her semifinal match against Mirra Andreeva.
The Polish star displayed an uncharacteristic level of agitation and argumentativeness against the young competitor. Swiatek was ultimately defeated by Andreeva, marking the second time in a month she had lost to the rising star.
During the fourth game of the final set, Swiatek voiced her complaints to the umpire regarding Andreeva’s actions, which drew boos from the crowd and left spectators uncertain about the source of her frustration.
After dropping that game and falling behind 1-3, Swiatek’s frustrations came to a head. Fans were stunned by her reaction when presented with a ball to serve.
When the ball kid tossed it to her, Swiatek fired it back near him, narrowly missing the ball kid and the crowd, which could have resulted in serious repercussions for the 23-year-old.
According to the rules, players can be defaulted for hitting a ball kid, the umpire, or any audience member with a ball. A notable case of this occurred when Novak Djokovic was defaulted for striking a line judge at the 2020 US Open.
Swiatek, being one of the best players in the world, likely didn’t fear misfiring her shot towards the ball kid, but the incident caught on video was certainly an unfortunate moment for the five-time Grand Slam champion.
Her outburst wasn’t limited to the ball incident; she also reacted poorly to her coach Wim Fissette’s advice after the opening point of the second set, where he suggested she hit with more spin and shape.
Still frustrated from losing the first set in a tiebreak, Swiatek responded angrily to her coach, clearly displeased by the unsolicited guidance amid the match.
While some players thrive on getting fired up during matches, Swiatek operates best by maintaining her focus without distractions in her pursuit of victory.
The former world No. 1’s erratic behavior against Andreeva may stem from a buildup of frustration from previous weeks. After having held a match point in the deciding set, she was eliminated from the 2025 Australian Open semifinal by Madison Keys.
This was followed by a loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the 2025 Qatar Open semifinal, putting an end to Swiatek’s three-year title reign at the tournament as Ostapenko secured her fifth consecutive win against the Pole.
Andreeva also triumphed over her in the 2025 Dubai Championships quarterfinal with a commanding performance before going on to capture her first Masters 1000 title, making her the youngest player to achieve that milestone since the format’s inception.
The match in Indian Wells was closer, but Swiatek fell short once again. She will aim to bounce back at the upcoming 2025 Miami Open, where Danielle Collins is the defending champion.
