Desirae Krawczyk turned an online jab into lighthearted podcast banter after revealing that a critic urged her to “burn” the flip-flops she wore to the 2026 Qatar Open Players’ Party.
During a recent episode of ‘The Player’s Box Podcast,’ Krawczyk and co-hosts Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys revisited the comment, unpacking the timing, the outfit in question, and the irony of receiving fashion criticism immediately after a match loss.
The Footwear Remark That Caught Desirae Krawczyk’s Attention
Krawczyk read the message aloud on the podcast, recounting her initial reaction. “So I had gotten this message. I saw it after the match, but it says, ‘Someone tell Des she must burn those flip-flops with the heel that she wore to the players party in Qatar.’ And I was like, ‘Oh?’” she said.
Curious, she revisited photos of the outfit. “So I went and looked at it and I was like, ‘Was it that bad?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, maybe it wasn’t a good outfit.’” Fellow player Brady chimed in with reassurance, saying, “I mean, the dress was so cute.”
Krawczyk clarified that the footwear in question was kitten heels that may have resembled flip-flops in photos. “It does look like you’re wearing flip-flops, but you know, I was just going with the trend, you know, these little kitten heels. I thought it looked good, but this guy really shut me down. I was just looking to see if there was any hate mail sent my way after today.”
Pegula admitted she had seen the comment before Krawczyk texted her. “Yeah, it was the icing on the cake after taking an L. Some guy telling you to burn your shoes. I did randomly see it before you sent that text. I was like, ‘Oh my God, wait, I know what he’s talking about.’ And I was thinking like how cute the dress was. I didn’t really think about the rest of the outfit, but it was just funny.”
Krawczyk wrapped the exchange with self-deprecating humor. “The shoes weren’t cute enough because she didn’t even notice it. It’s pretty funny though.”
How Did Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys Respond to the Criticism?
The podcast clip was shared on its official Instagram account, where Pegula urged Krawczyk to ignore the comment, attributing it to a spelling mistake, writing, “He spelled them ‘heals’ so we don’t take the fashion advice if you can’t spell it correctly.”
Keys added, “We dress for the girlies so those opinions don’t matter.”
Krawczyk’s Doha campaign ended in disappointment as she and her doubles partner, Sofia Kenin, lost 3-6, 2-6 to eighth seeds Demi Schuurs and Ellen Perez in the first round.
