"Weird accusation considering the location" - Fans baffled by Iga Swiatek's furious demand for umpire to throw out 'drunk' fan during WTA Finals loss

Iga Swiatek recently asked that a disruptive ‘drunk’ fan be removed from the audience during her clash against Amanda Anisimova at the WTA Finals. However, fans were baffled by the Pole's demand as alcohol is banned in Saudi Arabia.

Swiatek entered the WTA Finals as the World No.2 and her campaign got off to a strong start as she disposed of Madison Keys in straight sets. However, she ran into issues soon after, suffering a disappointing loss to Elena Rybakina, before falling short against Amanda Anisimova.

During her clash against Anisimova, Iga Swiatek shared a tense exchange with the umpire, as she alleged a ‘drunk’ fan was disrupting her second serve and asked that the man be removed from the audience. Reacting to Swiatek's demand, one fan on X wrote,

“Weird accusation considering the location. Public consumption of alcohol is banned in Saudi.”

Another fan expressed a similar confusion, writing,

“Alcohol is strictly banned in Saudi Arabia. What is she on about?”

Here is how other tennis enthusiasts reacted to Swiatek's comments about a ‘drunk' fan in Saudi Arabia:

“Mayne she should have let him stay seeing as she lost the next 2 sets,” one fan wrote. “Drunk in Saudi Arabia? Maybe she's drunk,” another added. “Well I hope they kicked him out because it looks like anisimova kicked something after that,” one X user commented. “Calling someone Drunk in Saudi Arabia where Alcohol is fully banned....Clowntek for a reason,” yet another fan chimed in.

Iga Swiatek reflects on her WTA Finals exit

Swiatek at the WTA Finals 2025 (Image Source: Getty)

After suffering back-to-back losses against Elena Rybakina and Amanda Anisimova, Iga Swiatek's campaign at the WTA Finals has officially come to a close and the Pole's exit from the tournament in the group stage matches marks a disappointing result.

Reflecting on her match against Anisimova, Swiatek told reporters,

“Honestly, I did everything I could today, so, like, no regrets. I felt like, I mean, really, in the zone, like I I had, you know, a positive mindset. Okay, maybe some balls went short or something, but tennis is not like, it's not gonna be perfect. So like, I fought, and I really didn't give up. It wasn't enough, which makes me sad. But like, we all need to, like, find some understanding, I guess because when you do everything and it's still not enough, I guess it means that you just need to get your tennis better.”

For Iga Swiatek, this marks the second consecutive year that she has exited the WTA Finals in the group stage matches. The 24-year-old had suffered a similar fate in 2024, prior to which she had won the tournament after defeating Jessica Pegula in the finals.

Edited by Riddhi Acharya