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Iga and Serena Cold Shoulder Each Other At Wimbledon
5 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Bios
By Scoop Malinowski
The paths of two great tennis champions crossed today on Centre Court at Wimbledon and how they failed to politely acknowledge each other’s presences was a very noteworthy and interesting spectacle, according to German tennis journalist Jannik Schneider.
“After she already practiced outside, Serena Williams is now on centre court. Serena entered at 2:15 when Swiatek – on a 35 match winning streak – was finishing her last serves of her practice session. Williams fistbumped Swiatek’s coach but there was no interaction between the players. Swiatek probably shy.” https://t.co/nXURslCJtX
That may be the diplomatic, politically correct way to characterize the double snub. A more accurate interpretation of this intriguing close encounter of tennis titans may be either they don’t like each other or, more likely, they both see each other as extremely dangerous threats to each other’s quest, and neither proud champion wants to defer psychologically and show any kind of inferiority.
Swiatek and Williams both believe they are the best in the world right now and neither wants to give an inch away of their supremacy. You can be sure Serena showed up to Wimbledon because she thinks she can win the title and tie Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slams. Serena is not at Wimbledon to give it her best shot or enjoy a farewell ceremony, she is there to do what she does best – WIN major tennis titles.
It’s possible Iga and Serena already greeted each other politely in the locker room and that was more than enough but I’m not buying that.
For Swiatek, the dominating world no. 1, this spontaneous showdown incident reflects a good sign for her future. She is not in awe of Serena at all and she has no interest in meaningless chit chit or taking selfies with the legend. Iga sees Serena as an enemy that must be terminated, if a showdown were to happen it would be in the final as each are in separate draw halves.
Now the record has been set straight and Serena knows Swiatek has zero interest in paying any homage or tributes to her, Iga is there for business – to win her third Grand Slam title and if she is required to, ruthlessly destroy Serena on the court.
Iga Swiatek · Serena Williams · Wimbledon
catherine · June 26, 2022 at 4:13 am
I think it’s pretty simple:
If there’s one person who could offer Swiatek some advice on how to play “the best kind of tennis” on grass it’s Serena Williams. But that might take some time. First, Swiatek has to muster up the courage to say hello to the seven-time Wimbledon champion.
“Well, when I saw her yesterday, I was pretty overwhelmed,” Swiatek said. “I felt like I am still kind of new on WTA. I didn’t know how to react perfectly. I wanted to meet her. I saw that she had so many people around her. I don’t know her team. It was pretty weird.
“So, yeah, I came back to myself a few years earlier when I was too shy to say hi to anybody for a second. But I feel that just seeing her around is great because she’s such a legend. There’s nobody that has done so much in tennis.”
From WTA site
Scoop Malinowski · June 26, 2022 at 7:38 am
Catherine, I’m not buying Iga’s comments, she is the no. 1 in the world, she is the queen of tennis. I think she intentionally ignored Serena and is being nice now for PR and image reasons. The last thing Iga wants to deal with is being called a racist or disrespectful for ignoring Serena. Would Iga or any top player actually admit to cold shouldering a legend to make them come to me? No. There was no reason for Iga to approach Serena to have a fake conversation, she’s busy working for a Wimbledon title.
catherine · June 26, 2022 at 8:21 am
Oh well. Agree to disagree once again. And again, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
I don’t believe Iga intentionally ignored Serena. She doesn’t even know her. And I don’t think she’s that kind of person. Her behaviour, to me, seems perfectly natural.
Scoop Malinowski · June 26, 2022 at 8:26 am
She didn’t realize the cameras were on. When she realized the cameras were watching and the snub became public, she had to do damage control. Because the media will always take Serena’s side. Why wasn’t Serena questioned about snubbing Iga? Critical thinking is a lost skill.
Scoop Malinowski · June 26, 2022 at 8:30 am
Nadal and Djokovic know they have to greet each other even if it’s fake, they know they have to do it so the media doesn’t turn it into a drama controversy. But it’s all just for cameras just for show. Rafa and Djokovic do not want to talk or spend any time together unless they are battling onthe court for a major title. Times have changed, McEnroe, Connors and Lendl didn’t bother to pretend to like each other. Today we live in a politcally correct world and no renowned tennis figure will admit to holding a grudge or resenting a rival. They all talk nice about each other.