World No. 2 Iga Swiatek admitted she wasn’t proud of her outburst at Indian Wells, where a frustrated smash nearly struck a ball boy.
However, the five-time Grand Slam champion said she was surprised by the "harsh judgments" that followed.
Swiatek faced heavy criticism after the incident during her 7-6 (1), 1-6, 6-3 semifinal loss to eventual champion Mirra Andreeva on Friday.
"It's true – I expressed frustration in a way I'm not proud of. My intention was never to aim the ball at anyone but merely to release my frustration by bouncing it on the ground," Swiatek posted on Instagram on Monday.
"I immediately apologized to the ball boy. We made eye contact and nodded to each other when I expressed regret that it happened near him.
"I've seen many players bounce balls in frustration, and frankly, I didn't expect such harsh judgments."
Swiatek added that the second half of last year was extremely challenging for her. She accepted a one-month suspension in November after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.
"When I'm highly focused and don't show many emotions on court, I'm called a robot, my attitude labeled as inhuman. Now that I'm more expressive, showing feelings or struggling internally, I'm suddenly labeled immature or hysterical," Swiatek said.
"That's not a healthy standard – especially considering that just six months ago, I felt my career was hanging by a thread, spent three weeks crying daily, and didn't want to step on the court."
