Wimbledon, 12 July 2025 – The tennis world is upside down after Iga świątek, the current number one in the world, was fined no less than $ 300,000 for misconduct during an official press conference from Wimbledon. The Polish tennis star attacked Anisimova Verberally, just a few minutes after the American had to incorporate her defeat in tears. What followed was an incident that Wimbledon will remember for a long time.
According to eyewitnesses, świątek unexpectedly stormed into the press room, while Amanda Anisimova was still busy with her postmatch interview. Świątek, visibly agitated, interrupted the session by screaming loudly:“Keep your mouth shut, loser!”The comment, sharp and deliberately humiliating, brought an icy silence to the room.
The CEO of Wimbledon, Sir Edward Halberg, intervened immediately. He was determined by the stage, took the microphone and expressed a sentence with cool determination that caused the entire space to silence:
“This is not an arena for ego, but for respect.”
The words had an immediate effect. Świątek stiffened, bowed her head and left the room without further fuss. A short time later she returned and publicly apologized to Anisimova, the tournament and the fans worldwide. “I lost myself in the moment. My behavior was unacceptable,” she was visibly excited.
The incident caused a storm of reactions on social media. While some fans tried to justify her emotional outburst with the pressure of the competition, many convicted her behavior as “unprofessional and unsporting”. Well-known former tennis players such as Martina Navratilova and Andy Murray expressed their disapproval via X (formerly Twitter), where Murray wrote:“Respect is what makes Wimbledon big. What happened today does not belong here.”
The fine of $ 300,000 was imposed by the tournament organization under the clause “Harmful behavior towards fellow athletes and reputation damage to the tournament”. Although świątek has apologized, the consequences remain. It is even speculated that her behavior can influence future sponsor contracts and her image within sport.
Amanda Anisimova has meanwhile professionally prepared and refused to give further comments, except for a short sentence: “I let my racket speak.”
Wimbledon 2025 is not nearly over yet, but today’s incident will undoubtedly go into the history books. While the battle on the grass continues, one thing is certain: sportiness remains the heart of tennis – and that was underlined with a hard hand today.
– Report by a correspondent on the spot, Wimbledon 2025
