Iga Swiatek failed to shake the umpire’s hand or speak to the written media as she made a dramatic exit from the Olympics tennis competition on Thursday, while Novak Djokovic painted a grim picture after appearing to aggravate his knee. World No.1 Swiatek had her 25-match winning run at Roland Garros snapped when Qinwen Zheng of China stormed into the women’s final in Paris.
Swiatek has been utterly dominant on the red clay in Paris, winning four of the last five French Open titles and three in a row. But she’ll have to settle for a bronze medal (at best) after a 6-2 7-5 loss on Thursday.
The World No.1 led 4-0 in the second set and appeared to be on the right track, but Zheng won four games in a row and eventually clinched victory against a frustrated Swiatek. It marked the Polish star’s first loss at Roland Garros since she was beaten by Maria Sakkari in the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2021.
Swiatek didn’t shake the umpire’s hand after the match and then broken down in tears during a TV interview. She then declined to speak to journalists for the written media. “Sorry. Next time,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Zheng, who made the final of the Australian Open in January, is now the first Chinese player to reach the final of an Olympic tennis tournament. She had lost all six previous matches against Swiatek, and the 21-year-old said: “This means everything to me because finally I broke the stage I always have in my head, I finally showed I could beat the World No.1 one on her best surface, at Roland Garros.
“It really does mean everything. I’m so happy that I can make this history for Chinese tennis. I always wanted to be one of the athletes who can get a medal for China, for our country, and right now I’m one of them. I’ve made history already but I don’t want to stop here.
Fans were highly critical of Swiatek’s failure to shake hands with the umpire. It came after the Pole asked the chair umpire to check a ball mark on match point, but the call went against her. There were also fiery scenes the day before when Danielle Collins shared some tense words with Swiatek after their match and labelled her ‘insecure’.
Novak Djokovic in massive injury drama at Olympics
Meanwhile, Djokovic advanced to the semis of the men’s event but felt pain in his surgically-repaired right knee while beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 7-6 (7-3) on Thursday night. The 37-year-old will face Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the final four, but admitted he’s concerned about how his knee will hold up.
Djokovic played at Wimbledon last month just five weeks after the surgery. “I’m concerned about the state of the knee. I cannot give you exact information, because I don’t have it,” he said. “I have to go and examine the knee now with my physio and with the medical staff of the tournament. And then let’s see. I’m hoping I can be ready.
The other men’s semi-final will see Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz take on Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada. Alcaraz got past Tommy Paul of the US 6-3 7-6 (9-7), while Auger-Aliassime Casper Ruud 6-4 6-7 (10-8) 6-3.
Alcaraz, who won the recent French Open, ran his winning streak at Roland Garros to 11 matches. The 21-year-old also became the youngest man to reach the singles semi-finals at a Summer Olympics since Djokovic in 2008.
