'SORRY WIMBLEDON, I DON'T KNOW IF I'M SUPPOSED TO DO THAT' - IGA SWIATEK APOLOGIZES AFTER REVEALING SNEAKY ACT IN INTERVIEW

Iga Swiatek at 2023 China Open. Source: Getty

Iga Swiatek playfully admitted to collecting towels following her victory over Polina Kudermetova in the first round at Wimbledon 2025. She jokingly apologized for the sneaky act during the interview.

Playing her opening match at the tournament, eighth seed Swiatek earned a comprehensive 7-5, 6-1 win over the Russian.

Following her win, Swiatek was teased by the interviewer during her on-court interview for taking multiple Wimbledon towels. Reacting to this, the 24-year-old laughed and admitted that players love collecting towels at Grand Slams and that her friends and family often request them. She then playfully apologized, saying:

“Come on. It’s like a topic no one ever talks about. We love our towels. Every time I come back from a slam I think I have like 10 friends and 10 family members wanting towels. So sorry guys. Sorry Wimbledon, I don’t know if I’m supposed to do that.”

She further joked about the number of Grand Slam towels she has already collected over the years, adding that if she continues doing the same for the next 15 years, she might need to build a separate room just to store them.

Up next, Iga Swiatek will take on American Caty McNally in her second round of Wimbledon. She would be hoping to better her performance this time compared to the 2023 edition of the tournament, where she reached the quarterfinals -- her best finish in five attempts so far.

Iga Swiatek expressed pride in her performance despite losing to Jessica Pegula in the women’s singles final of the 2025 Bad Homburg Open. In the match that spanned 1 hour and 46 minutes, Pegula prevailed over the Polish tennis star 6-4, 7-5 to claim her third title of the season.

Following her runner-up finish, Swiatek shared her thoughts via an Instagram post. Thanking the fans for their support and focusing on her progress despite the result not going in her favor, she wrote:

“Thank you for the support and your kindness. I’m proud of the work we put over last few weeks to improve, to take another steps. This everyday effort and commitment with a lot of grit and fun lead to great result that makes me go to Wimbledon with satisfaction and determination to progress every week on the court and face next challenges.”

She also congratulated her opponent Pegula in the message. Notably, Swiatek left the WTA 500 event in Germany with a cash prize of €87,825, while the winner Pegula earned €142,610.

- Abhiruchi Rout

ARYNA SABALENKA LABELS ANNA KALINSKAYA'S STYLE "SEXY"; KALINSKAYA INSISTS OTHERWISE

Aryna Sabalenka and Anna Kalinskaya- Source: Gett

Aryna Sabalenka recently paired with Anna Kalinskaya in an interview, where the two spoke about their respective styles and choices. While the Belarusian player labeled Kalinskaya's style as sexy, the Russian player had a different perspective about her own style.

The two featured in a behind-the-scenes interview with Harper's Bazar Australia. The magazine shared a video of the players having a fun conversation with each other, doing a Q&A session about their choices. When asked about how she would label her style, Kalinskaya said:

"I would say classic," she said.

Voicing her thoughts about Anna's style, Sabalenka immediately interrupted, saying:

"Come on, classic, sexy, beautiful, stunning," Sabalenka said.

 Meanwhile, Anna Kalinskaya said:

"I wouldn't say sexy."

Explaining her point of view, Aryna Sabalenka further said:

"It is sexy because your body is beautiful, and you open up some parts, and it looks so.. I would call it sexy."

Sabalenka started her 2025 season strongly by winning the Brisbane International after defeating Polina Kudermetova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the final. This was the 18th WTA singles title of the 26-year-old's career.

Aryna Sabalenka opened up about her dream to inspire people

Sabalenla at the Brisbane International- Source: Getty

Aryna Sabalenka appeared in an interview with Tracey Holmes of Harper Bazar Australia and spoke about her dream of inspiring people. Reflecting on her past experiences and acknowledging the hard work it took for her to be here, she said:

"My dream is to inspire people, to be a fighter and to be an example of not giving up and going through whatever life throws at me. If someone can look at me and think. She did it, and she was strong, and I just have to do the same and I can go through it. I’ll be really happy. I would love to inspire people to be strong and never give up," said Aryna Sabalenka.

 Talking about her sacrifices and hardships, she added:

"It took me a lot to get where I am right now, and I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices. It has definitely taken a lot of hard work, and it’s a long process. It’s not something that happens just by one click."

Following her triumph in Brisbane, Sabalenka will next compete at the Australian Open, which is the first Grand Slam where she is the top seed in the singles tournament. The 26-year-old will start her title defense against Sloane Stephens, with the winner facing either Sonay Kartal or Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the second round.

- Nancy Singh