Quote of the Day: Iga Swiatek shrugs off Danielle Collins accusing her of "fakeness"

It seems like Olympic fever is officially boiling over this week in Paris.

A day after Zheng Qinwen and Emma Navarro’s fiery post-match exchange, it was Danielle Collins who had some words for her opponent, Iga Swiatek, following their tightly contested quarterfinal.

Collins, the last American standing in women’s singles, was locked in battle with the world No. 1 in a match that went the distance—and featured plenty of tense moments throughout.

Read More: Quote of the Day: Emma Navarro had some words for "cut-throat" Zheng Qinwen after Olympics defeat

The world No. 9 took issue with the Pole’s pace of play, particularly when Swiatek took a nine-minute bathroom break after dropping the second set. She later told Swiatek to “play at the server’s pace” after the top seed held her racquet up to halt Collins before her serve.

And in the most dramatic sequence, Swiatek “couldn’t breathe for a few seconds” after being struck in the abdomen by a Collins swing volley in the first game of the third set. The American walked over to Swiatek’s side of the court to check on her, as the Pole clutched her stomach before gesturing that she was okay to continue.

Their topsy-turvy match concluded in anti-climatic fashion, with Collins forced to retire while trailing the third set, 6-1, 2-6, 4-1, sending Swiatek into the semifinals. The Pole made tennis history by becoming the first athlete from her country—male or female—to reach the medal rounds in the Olympic tennis event.

But when Swiatek tried to shake Collins’ hand after her victory, the 30-year-old appeared to rebuff her. Their exchange was not picked up by microphones, but the Pole’s shocked reaction was clear. Afterward, Collins said it was because she told Swiatek she "didn't need the fakeness" when it came to the abdominal injury that cost her the match:

DANIELLE COLLINS: I told Iga she didn’t have to be insincere about my injury.

There’s a lot that happens on camera, and there are a lot of people with a ton of charisma and come out and are one way on camera and another way in the locker room.

And I just haven’t had the best experience, and I don’t really feel like anybody needs to be insincere. They can be the way that they are. I can accept that, and I don’t need the fakeness.

In the mixed zone after the match, Swiatek still seemed as taken aback by Collins’ comments as she was when she first heard them on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

“Honestly, I don't know what she meant, because we didn't even have any interactions that could have caused her to say that to me,” Swiatek said according to Poland’s Interia.

Read More: Iga Swiatek secures spot in Olympic semifinals, survives ailing Danielle Collins in Paris

When asked if her nine-minute bathroom break could have given Collins a reason to be upset with her during the match, Swiatek declined to speculate.

Instead, Swiatek revealed that she was unaware that there were time limits to bathroom breaks at the Paris Olympics. On Tuesday, players were allowed 10 minutes between the second and third sets due to extreme heat, but on Wednesday the time limit was the usual five minutes.

“Usually at tournaments, when we go out and have time to change clothes, we are entitled to five minutes,” Swiatek explained. “I asked the lady who escorted me how much time I had. She didn't tell me. She replied that they don't count time here and that I should simply leave when I feel like it. So I used that time to change and cool down, and then I returned to the court.

“Honestly, I didn't know how much time had passed, but I didn't do anything against the rules, so I don't really know what the whole situation was about.”

Swiatek will next face No. 6 seed Zheng for a place in the gold-medal match. The Chinese player defeated Angelique Kerber, in what would be the German's final match as a professional, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (6).