Home
Iga Swiatek is a committed world number one. Her defeat in the final of the WTA 500 tournament in Ostrava on Sunday did not prevent the Polish player from announcing that she would donate her winnings from the week. On the occasion of the World Mental Health Day, she decided to help organizations in her country that deal with this subject.
She ended her week with a defeat, for once. But Iga Swiatek did not lose everything in Ostrava on Sunday, after being beaten for the first time in more than three years (10 consecutive wins) in the final by Czech Barbora Krejcikiva after a great fight (5-7, 7-6, 6-3). During the award ceremony, she even won many hearts among the spectators by revealing that she was going to donate her finalist prize money (58,032 euros).
On the occasion of the World Mental Health Day this Monday, the world number 1 decided to donate all her winnings to Polish organizations committed to this long taboo subject, especially in high-level sport and tennis. “I really wanted to play well here so I could give a nice amount of money and I’m quite happy that I could do it. I want to raise awareness and make sure that people know that they can use this help if they need it, or help others if they have the resources,” she said.
A WORLD NUMBER 1 AWARE OF HER RESPONSIBILITIES
Since taking the helm, the new boss of the women’s tour has not hesitated to get involved in a number of issues, from the war in Ukraine to mental health. Aware of her status, she accepts the responsibilities. “I’m quite happy to use my position in tennis in this way,” she confirmed afterwards.
The Polish player regularly gives her opinion on current events, but also on the problems inherent to her sport. A week ago, she didn’t hesitate to speak out against the tennis governing bodies and the “dangerous” schedule of the Billie Jean King Cup finals, held in Glasgow in the wake of the Women’s Masters… in Texas. She also announced that she would personally talk to the WTA and the IFT (International Tennis Federation) about the issue.
