Former world No. 5 Daniela Hantuchova has claimed that Iga Swiatek once handed her a bag of laundry and asked her to wash it while competing at the Madrid Open. Hantuchova took up a player and media representative role at the joint ATP-WTA 1000 tournament in 2024, and has now admitted that some of the players' behaviour on-site has shocked her.
Laundry incident at Madrid Open
Appearing on the Canal+ podcast Kanar+, Hantuchova shared unusual incidents involving former champion Swiatek, who allegedly handed her a bag of clothes that she wanted to be washed. “I also had the laundry incident, when Iga personally brought me her clothes and asked me what to do with them,” the 43-year-old said.
“I can't imagine going up to someone from an older generation and saying, ‘Here's my laundry, so wash it for me’. And I actually went and dealt with it.” Tournaments offer laundry services for players, and Swiatek may have been confused about who to give her clothes to.
Blackout requests and sponsor frustrations
Hantuchova said that wasn't the only incident. There was a power blackout across Spain which hit the tournament site on one day in 2025, leaving players without running water or electricity. Some attempted to walk all the way back to their hotel in the city, while others ate food by candlelight.
During the blackout, Hantuchova said that Swiatek's psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, also asked for warm chicken – even though there was no way it could be cooked. “We were literally handing out bread rolls for dinner, whatever we could get,” Hantuchova recalled.
“It's a serious situation. And then I got a request from Iga Swiatek's psychologist asking for warm chicken at 11am. What did she want me to do, heat it up by making a bonfire? Can't you see what's happening here? We were just glad to get by. There was still no electricity, but they already wanted warm chicken at 11am before the match.”
Hantuchova also voiced frustrations with other top players, whom she claimed wouldn't get involved in sponsor activities. “No top-five player agreed to work with a sponsor for 10 minutes, while Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner did it without hesitation,” she added. “They want to earn more and think they don't have to do anything for tennis.”
Swiatek's difficult period
Six-time Major champion Swiatek was going through a difficult period during the 2025 Madrid Open. She was mourning the loss of her grandfather during the tournament, and briefly left the city to attend his funeral before losing in the third round.
Iga Swiatek's representatives declined to comment when approached by Express Sport.
