Iga Swiatek shared some heartbreaking news of her private life this week, confirming that her 17-year-old pet cat recently passed away.
Swiatek is currently competing in the Cincinnati Open, which is the second leg of the WTA 1000 tournaments before the US Open. As the third seed, Swiatek received a bye in the first round and defeated Anastasia Potapova 6-1 6-4 in her opening match. She will play Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the third round.
Iga Swiatek Mourns Loss Of Her 17-year-old Pet Cat
Swiatek is playing through grief after learning of the death of Grappa, her female pet cat. While Swiatek’s off-court life remains discreet, she occasionally updates her fans on any new developments while she is away from the tour to connect with them. Swiatek has shared her obsession for cats in the past and named Grappa after the Italian liquor, which is one of her favorite drinks.
However, Grappa is no longer with her after Swiatek confirmed that she passed away in a moving tribute on Instagram. She wrote, “Hope we gave you best possible home a cat can have. Grateful that you gave us 17 years of unconditional love.”
Swiatek shared one of her earliest pictures captured while in her childhood, sitting side by side with her cat. Coincidentally, the heartfelt post was shared on August 8, which was International Cat Day.
The six-time Grand Slam champion is one of the most followed active tennis players on Instagram (2.3 million followers), and received an outpouring of support from tennis fans and fellow players with the post garnering over 200k likes.
Swiatek’s compatriot Magda Linette commented with three crying emojis and a broken heart. And one of the users who was empathetic of what Swiatek was going through wrote, “I’m sorry. Loved animals are like family members. I understand the pain and loss. Hugs.”
After nearly two decades, Swiatek had created a deep bond with her cat, and it remains to be seen whether this setback will affect her performance for the remainder of the tournament.
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
