A women’s tennis star was not happy with a reporter’s “inappropriate” question following her loss in the quarterfinals on Wednesday evening.
Iga Swiatek, the No. 2 seed in the 2025 U.S. Open, fell to No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York on Wednesday evening. Swiatek, 24 and ranked No. 2 in the world, lost to the American in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. It’s a tough loss for Swiatek, who has won six Grand Slam titles, including the 2022 U.S. Open and Wimbledon this year.
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Following the match, Swiatek spoke with reporters, though she was understandably not happy with one post-match question.
Iga Swiatek speaks with reporters.US Open.
Swiatek, understandably in a not-so-great mood following her quarterfinals loss at the U.S. Open, was asked by a reporter if she needed a mental break.
“It’s been a lot of tennis the last few weeks. Wimbledon, the American tournaments leading up to this, now this. How tired are you at the moment?”
Swiatek was clearly not happy with the question.
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“I don’t know, like, it’s not like my matches were exhausting here.”
The reporter then clarified he was talking about a “mental break.”
Reporter’s question gets called out
The reporter was called out for the question, with some suggesting that it was inappropriate for him to imply that a player would be in need of a mental break.
“Do you need a mental break?” Swiatek asked the reporter.
She added: “You look like you need a mental break.”
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Tennis fans are praising Swiatek for standing up to the reporter and calling out his inappropriate question.
“Justified: He had an obnoxious question after a tough loss in a Grand Slam QF & she appropriately gave him smack down responses! I like it,” one fan wrote on X.
“Just stop asking tennis players stupid questions, especially after the defeat. Iga was hurt after the loss and had to deal with this nonsense after a very tough match for her,” one fan added.
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“Completely ridiculous question to ask,” one fan added.
“The reporter should quit assuming people are mentally weak,” another fan added.
“Not her biggest fan since the whole doping thing, but this reporter needs to lose access to the press room,” one fan added.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 10: Iga Swiatek of Poland reacts to defeating Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the semi-final on Day Eleven of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2025 in London, England (Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images)Robert Prange/Getty Images
The U.S. Open will continue on Thursday, with women’s semifinals matches between No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 4 Jessica Pegula and No. 8 Amanda Anisimova and No. 23 Naomi Osaka.
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The matches are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. E.T. on ESPN.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Sep 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the Tennis section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.