Iga Swiatek has been slammed by tennis pundits and viewers after many believe she was trying to deliberately "distract" her opponent during the US Open.
On Sunday (September 4), the 21-year-old tennis player triumphed in a 6-3, 6-4 straight sets victory over Lauren Davis at Louis Armstrong Stadium to book her spot in the fourth round of the grand slam tournament.
But the number one ranked Polish star raised some eyebrows early in the second set when she frantically waved her arms in the air after the 28-year-old prepared to strike a backhand winner.
Davis won the point regardless, however, several tennis pundits and social users have accused Swiatek of attempting to distract her opponent during the match.
Watch the moment unfold below:According to Eurosport, expert John McEnroe wasn't impressed, saying: "I don’t know about that. I don’t think that’s legal, that is a little bit below the belt," he said. The American also referenced the last time he saw such behavior, some 36 years ago."
"The last time I saw that was when I was playing in 1986 I believe and [Mansour] Bahrami came in and served, and put his hands wide open and said, 'Hit me'. And my partner Peter Fleming hit him in the forehead," he continued.
"And I said, 'He’s a joke, this guy! I don’t understand what he’s doing. This is serious,'" McEnroe said, adding "She’s so good it seems... but she’ll learn. She’s 21. That’s something that you do in junior tennis. That’s not something that you do if you’re world No. 1."
Former world No. 7 Barbara Schett also added her thoughts, saying: "It’s a bit edgy, isn’t it? I remember Jo-Wilfried Tsonga used to do that but it’s actually a distraction to the opponent."
Many people on social media also expressed their disappointment with the young athlete for her bizarre move on the court.
One user tagged Swiatek's Twitter account and wrote: "That move at the net was disgraceful…waving your arms to confuse your opponent and win a point?! you’re #1 in the world you should set the example, unsportsmanlike."
Another commented: "What was up with waving your arms in your opponent's face in the middle of the point in the last match? it was offensive‼️"
A third said: "Flapping your arms to distract is beneath you. Really hope you'll grow out of things like that."
After Swiatek won the match, she did a post-match conference and said that she "couldn't find her rhythm" and that Davis played "smart" and "totally different" than any other player.
"I’m pretty happy at the end that I could put balls in," she said, adding: "I’m trying to enjoy every match, even when it’s not perfect. Just trying to go for it. Trying to find solutions in every situation."
The athlete also went on an impressive 37-match winning streak earlier this year by claiming titles at Roland Garros, Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, and Rome.
