WIMBLEDON champion Iga Swiatek was left shocked and bemused when a reporter asked if she would consider getting hair braids during her stay at the US Open.
The world No2 was talking to Polish media after recording a second-round 6-1 4-6 6-4 victory over Dutchwoman Suzan Lamens on Thursday afternoon in New York.
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Relations have been fractious with the press in her homeland for some time now.
And there was a bizarre interaction at Flushing Meadows following the English-speaking section of her post-match press conference.
The former US Open champion was asked if she would think about wearing braids in her hair – like her rival Naomi Osaka from Japan has done for the tournament.
Swiatek, 24, replied: “What kind of question is that? Excuse me?
“If I wanted to weave braids in my hair? No. What’s going on?”
Footage posted on social media showed a male journalist standing up and leaving the auditorium while the presser was still going on – as Swiatek rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
Swiatek has been unhappy with coverage back home, specifically scrutiny that has been placed on her relationship with her psychologist Daria Abramowicz.
She touched on this thorny situation when she lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish last month in London following a 6-0 6-0 hammering of American Amanda Anisimova.
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Victory on Wimbledon’s Centre Court was Swiatek’s first major title since it was announced she had tested positive for prohibited substance Trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition anti-doping test.
She accepted a one-month suspension that was served late last year.
It was a result of taking contaminated melatonin tablets from Poland, which she had been using for jet lag and sleep issues.
This year, her ranking plummeted from second to eighth spot in the world and she annoyed some fans by her change of coaches.
There were lots of questions as she started to suffer surprising defeats, notably in the semi-finals of the Australian and French Opens.
Swiatek claims she has been treated unpleasantly by the scribes who cover her tournament and life on the WTA Tour.
The Warsaw warrior – who earned £3million for the Wimbledon win – said: “There were a lot of people, especially back home, kind of doubting me.
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“And not making it easy for me to do my job. I mean the expectations and everything.
“I hope I proved to everybody that they should just leave me alone, let me do my work, let me focus on myself, and I’ll have great performances as I did here.
“People back home are constantly expecting me to win and then suddenly, losing becomes a surprise for them.
“With all the struggles I have had and changes in the team, I needed peaceful time.
“For sure the past months, how the Polish media sometimes described me, how they treated me and my team, it wasn’t really pleasant.
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“I hope they will just leave me alone and let me do my job. I have the best people around me.
“I’ve already proved a lot. I know people want more and more, but it’s my own process and my own life and my own career.”
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