She Wasn’t Even There – How Iga Świątek Became the Star of Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open Drama
In an unexpected twist at the 2025 French Open, Iga Świątek found herself trending—not for a stunning backhand winner or another Grand Slam title—but for being name-dropped in a press conference spat she had absolutely nothing to do with. During a tense media exchange following her semifinal defeat to Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka brought up Świątek in a defensive attempt to shift focus. The result? Fans of the Polish tennis star turned Twitter into a comedy club.
Let’s break it down. Gauff had just defeated Sabalenka in a thrilling three-set match to reach the final. In the post-match press conference, the American player discussed controversial line calls and subtle on-court tension. When Sabalenka was asked for her side, she unexpectedly referenced Świątek—saying the world No. 1 had also disagreed with umpires in the past, so she didn’t understand the scrutiny.
Bad move.
Almost instantly, Świątek’s fans took to social media with savage, witty, and downright hilarious responses. They couldn’t believe their queen—who was back in Warsaw, far removed from the Roland Garros heat—was suddenly being used as a PR shield.
One tweet summed it up perfectly:
“YOU KNOW YOU THAT BITCH WHEN YOU CAUSE ALL THIS CONVERSATION. My girl Iga is at home playing with Legos and yet she is the center of attention in PARIS.”
The tweet went viral, racking up thousands of likes and solidifying Świątek’s place as the unbothered protagonist of a tennis soap opera.
Another fan joked,
“Now why’s Iga in it 😭😭😭”,
turning the press room tension into an unexpected meme moment. Many Świątek supporters shared GIFs of people ducking or looking confused, with captions like
“Iga somewhere in Warsaw rn” and
“See now Iga is catching strays because of Sabalenka’s messiness.”
The moment struck a chord, not just because it was funny, but because it highlighted Świątek’s growing stature in the sport. She wasn’t playing in that match. She wasn’t in that press room. And yet, her name carried enough weight to become part of the headline.
What makes the situation even more iconic is how Świątek remained completely silent through it all. No tweets. No comments. No subtle Instagram stories. Fans found it refreshing—proof that true queens don’t need to respond when chaos erupts. They let their legacy (and win percentage) do the talking.
In a Grand Slam that delivered fierce rallies and championship drama, the biggest mic-drop moment came off-court—when the internet declared a winner not based on match stats, but meme dominance.
Świątek didn’t hit a single shot that day.
But she won Twitter.
Again.
