Iga Swiatek Opens Up on Criticism, More in IG Post: 'Sport Is Not Played By Robots'

Tennis star Iga Świątek opened up about the recent "talk about changes in my on-court behavior and emotions" during an Instagram post on Monday, addressing the impact of last year's one-month doping ban and some of her struggles in tournaments since reaching the semifinals in the Australian Open.

"Firstly, working on oneself isn't something you achieve once and keep forever," she posted. "Sometimes we take two steps forward and one step back. I'm facing new elements of this puzzle all the time: Circumstances change, my experiences evolve, I evolve, opponents evolve, opponents evolve, and I must constantly adapt. It's never easy, and it's particularly challenging for me right now. Sport is not played by robots. I've had three incredible seasons, but nothing comes effortlessly, and there's no guarantee results will always be easy or under control. That's life, and that's sport. Sometimes even I forget that."

She also said she was feeling worn down by "constant judgment."

"When I'm highly focused and don't show many emotions on court, I'm called a robot, my attitude labeled as inhuman," she wrote. "Now that I'm more expressive, showing feelings or struggling internally, I'm suddenly labeled immature or hysterical. That's not a healthy standard—especially considering that just six months ago, I felt my career was hanging by a thread, spent three weeks crying daily, and didn't want to step on the court. Today, after everything I've been through, I'm still processing and coming to terms with those experiences."

The post comes after Świątek slammed a ball on the ground in the direction of the ball boy during Saturday's loss to Mirra Andreeva at Indian Wells. In Monday's post, she noted she wasn't proud of the moment but said she never meant to hit the ball in his direction, instead intending to simply slam it off the ground in frustration.

In September, the International Tennis Integrity Agency issued Świątek a one-month ban for an unintentional ingestion of trimetazidine, a banned substance. The organization accepted Świątek's explanation that she had taken a contaminated dosage of melatonin.

Her frustrations have mounted this season. She smashed her racket after losing to Jelena Ostapenko at the Qatar Open and a week later was seen ignoring her coach Wim Fissette's attempts to shake her hand following a loss to Andreeva at the Dubai Open.