Aryna Sabalenka spoke about Iga Swiatek's doping case for the first time after competing against the Pole at the 2024 World Tennis League.
Fans were particularly interested in hearing Sabalenka's reaction to the shock news of Swiatek testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine because of the on-court rivalry the two have shared in recent years.
Sabalenka and Swiatek had a thrilling battle for the year-end No. 1 spot in 2023. The Belarusian held the advantage before that year's WTA Finals, but the four-time French Open champion overtook her after winning the season-ending tournament.
It seemed like Swiatek was destined to claim the year-end No. 1 ranking this season as well after Sabalenka fell to No. 3 behind Coco Gauff after the French Open. However, the 26-year-old rebounded spectacularly by winning the Cincinnati Open, US Open, and Wuhan Open.
Sabalenka's place as the year-end No. 1 was confirmed after Swiatek lost to the eventual champion Gauff at the WTA Finals. Achieving that had been one of the three-time Grand Slam champion's main goals for the season.
Although Sabalenka deserves the credit for overtaking Swiatek, she benefited from the Pole missing the entire Asian swing. It was publicly revealed on November 28th that the 23-year-old missed that part of the season because she had been provisionally suspended after her positive doping tests.
Swiatek had the provisional suspension lifted on October 4th after further testing proved her explanation that the melatonin tablets she purchased had been contaminated with tiny traces of trimetazidine.
The world No. 2 accepted a one-month ban for the positive test, 22 days of which she had already served while provisionally suspended. That means she can freely return to the WTA Tour next season without restrictions.
Many sympathize with Swiatek since all she did was buy a legal product that many other players use. Andy Roddick was among those who defended her, saying he had taken melatonin several times and the contamination could happen to anyone.
Former French Open champion Ilie Nastase did not share that sympathy. He claimed that his compatriot Simona Halep received a lengthier suspension in her case because she is Romanian and would have been treated differently if she was from Poland.
Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva thrashed Swiatek and Paula Badosa in a doubles match at the World Tennis League. Swiatek and Badosa are good friends off the court, but they never gelled together during a heavy 1-6 loss.
Although fans enjoyed the match, some were even happier to see Sabalenka hug Swiatek at the net afterward, indicating that the five-time Grand Slam champion's doping case has not affected how she views her.
Sabalenka was asked about the doping case after the match. The world No. 1 did not say much about the situation but did mention that many people overreact to such stories before knowing all the details, which sounded quite supportive of Swiatek.
"People are really used to overreacting before figuring stuff out, so I don’t want to leave any comments. I believe in clean sport and nothing else I can add."
It is understandable that players do not want to comment much about sensitive issues like doping cases, but Sabalenka seems to have no problem with Swiatek.