Iga Swiatek may have stormed to yet another title this year at Indian Wells on Sunday but a hilarious clip shows that the Pole still had her fair share of struggles –– particularly with the trophy itself. Swiatek beat Greece’s Maria Sakkari in straight sets to continue her impressive unbeaten run and secure her second consecutive WTA title. The 20-year-old has also matched Rafael Nadal’s impressive feat of securing 20 victories in 2022 so far.Her victory will also see her rise to number two in the world, behind only Ashleigh Barty, who was absent from Indian Wells last week. Barty will also miss the upcoming Miami Open, where she won last year, which gives the Pole a good chance of narrowing the gap at the top of the rankings. But while everything appears to be going right for Swiatek from a tennis perspective, some couldn’t help but comment on how difficult she found it to lift the Indian Wells trophy at the weekend. The Twitter page Tennis GIFS posted a clip of the Pole trying, and failing to pick up the trophy after the final and captioned it: “The struggle is quite real.” 

Naturally, fans found the incident amusing. One joked: “Kinda ridiculous to make an immovable trophy.”

Another said: “Seriously, what is this trophy made of?” 

A third even suggested that Swiatek found the actual match easier than lifting the trophy itself. “It was easier to beat Maria,” one user stressed. 

It’s not the first time players have seemingly struggled with the weight of the Indian Wells prize. 

Simona Halep, who lost to Swiatek in the semi-finals, was asked by reporters to lift the trophy after she won the tournament in 2015. 

The Romanian responded, “Yes for sure, I have power for this.” Yet, she was also unable to pick up the heavy silverware, prompting fits of laughter from Halep and the journalists present. 

Halep then asked “How many kilos” the trophy weighed,” and joked that she wouldn’t bother trying again because she wanted to be fit for the upcoming Miami Open. 

The Indian Wells trophy has long been renowned as one of the heaviest among all tournaments. 

It consists of a crystal sculpture, resembling the logo of sponsor BNP Paribas. A number of champions have failed to raise the trophy over the years and for safety reasons, it sits on a tall stand.

Though Swiatek may well have been slightly embarrassed at failing to hoist her prize aloft, it matters not in the grand scheme of things. Ultimately, it’s another title in the bag and more silverware to add to her growing trophy cabinet.