Iga Swiatek has explained her failure to follow the dress code for a pre-tournament photo shoot ahead of this week’s WTA Finals in Cancun. The 22-year-old kicked off her campaign with a straight-sets win over Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova after initially going behind early on.
Swiatek and her rivals joined forces on Friday to take part in a photo shoot before the start of the tournament, although she clearly went against the grain regarding the dress code. While the likes of Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula all wore white dresses, Swiatek stole the show in a bright red number by Polish designer Magda Butrym.
She later explained that it was all a miscommunication, with the WTA only asking players to wear white after she had already picked out her dress for the event.
“Honestly, there was no story,” laughed Swiatek. “I picked that dress a couple of months before, and then the WTA emailed us that we should all wear white. And we were like, really? We’re not getting married or something? So we asked them if it’s possible to maybe not have that rule.
“They literally sent an email a few hours later saying that it’s okay, you can wear whatever you want. I think the rest of the girls maybe thought the rule was still on or something, but I’m not sure. I think it was honestly a full coincidence. I didn’t know I was going to be the only one.”
Swiatek also said that she conducted an informal poll of the locker room the day before the photoshoot and was told that only four of her rivals had chosen a white dress. It eventually transpired that all other players had gone down the all-white route, leaving Swiatek as the odd woman out.
However, she had no regrets over her choice of attire as it helped to shine a spotlight on Butrym, who designed the all-red open back dress worth in excess of £1,500.
“I didn’t want to make a big fuss about my dress or anything, but I’m happy that I picked this one because it’s from a Polish fashion designer,” she added.
“I loved it from the beginning, from the first time I saw it, and it’s also a little bit of a Mexican vibe with the red. I think it was a nice choice! And it’s also the first time I wear something that’s so [fitted].”
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