"Hopefully I play tennis better" - Iga Swiatek embarrassed at Korea Open presentation ceremony after earnest attempt at speaking Korean

Iga Swiatek secured her third title of 2025 in thrilling fashion on Sunday (September 21), overcoming second-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in a three-set championship match to reign supreme at this week's Korea Open. During her winner's speech, the Pole greeted the local fans at the Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Center in Korean, which was followed by a hilarious self-effacing comment.

Swiatek was in unassailable form all week at the WTA 500 tournament in Seoul as she didn't drop a single set en route to the final. And on Sunday, while the World No. 2 got blanked in the first set by Ekaterina Alexandrova, she fought hard to eventually complete a 1-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 win in two hours and 46 minutes.

Following her title victory, Iga Swiatek spared a few kind words for her fans in their own language. Although her attempt elicited cheers from the crowd, she tongue-in-cheek expressed hopes that her aptitude for tennis was better than her Korean language skills.

"Hopefully I play tennis better than I speak Korean…" Iga Swiatek remarked during her Korea Open-winning speech.

The 24-year-old also congratulated World No. 11 Alexandrova, who competed in her 11th career singles final on the WTA Tour this week, for her valiant effort in the title match.

"I want to congratulate Ekaterina for an amazing week and amazing final. I don’t know how I won it honestly. You were just playing great. I was just trying to stay alive. Congrats to your team as well. Great job. Hopefully we will play more finals," the Pole added.

Last, but certainly not the least, Iga Swiatek's head coach Wim Fisette and the rest of her team also received props from the six-time Major winner in her speech.

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Iga Swiatek extends apology to her team: "Sorry for being sometimes hard"

Iga Swiatek looks at her team in disbelief after winning Korea Open 2025 | Image Source: Getty

Swiatek had endured a tough outing on the women's pro circuit in the first six months of the year, failing to reach the final of a singles tournament and falling to as low as eighth in the WTA rankings. However, the Pole has since turned around her 2025 season, going all the way at Wimbledon, the Cincinnati Open, and now, the Korea Open.

Against that background, it made sense for the 25-time WTA singles titlist to thank her team for sticking through the thick and the thin with her.

"I want to thank my team as well. Sorry for being sometimes… hard," Swiatek admitted whilst looking at her team. "Thank you for the patience. It wasn’t an easy week. Thank you for staying with me."

The World No. 3 will next play at the China Open, which begins on Wednesday (September 24). She won the 2023 title at the WTA 1000 tournament and will be eager to do well there, as it will likely bode well for her year-end World No. 1 finish chances.

Edited by Rudra Biswas