After winning her third-round match against Danielle Collins, Polish tennis player and Wimbledon champion Iga Świątek revealed that her favourite dish is pasta with strawberries, which resonated with some, while raising eyebrows with others across the continent.
"I have my favourite dish. I ate it often as a child. It's pasta with strawberries. You should try it. Pasta, strawberries and a bit of yoghurt, it's just delicious," Świątek said after winning her match against Danielle Collins.
Her statement sparked a wave of comments on social media, most notably from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who posted a photo of himself holding a plate of pasta with strawberries and cream on X Saturday, appearing to eat the dish while watching Swiatek on television.
However, this sparked further debate, as Tusk's pasta seemed uncooked, which did not sit well with some users, while others argued that the dish was not made with whole strawberries.
"What on Earth is happening in Poland that their prime minister posts this on his official account? Are those strawberries on pasta? What is happening in Poland," one user asked.
"He didn't even cook the pasta. His assistant made him a prop for the photo," another one commented in Polish.
According to the Media Monitoring Institute, Świątek's strawberry pasta video reached as many as 25 million internet users outside Poland within a few days.
The video, which was posted on Wimbledon's official TikTok, also triggered a wave of reactions.
Polish fans posted comments praising Świątek's taste. "Best summer food of all time," wrote one fan.
However, many internet users outside of Poland expressed a different opinion. In one comment, the dish was described as a "crime against pasta".
On Saturday, Świątek became the first Polish tennis player in history to win Wimbledon in the women's singles at the professional level, beating her US rival Amanda Anisimova in straight sets without losing a game.
