Iga Swiatek Reveals How Difficult It Was To Keep Her Doping Case As Secret
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Iga Swiatek went through one of the most difficult periods in her life after she tested positive for a banned substance. Now, she was able to look back on that period.
Unlike Jannik Sinner, Swiatek can now be sure that the period of her tennis career when she had to prove her innocence is over. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chose not to appeal her case, which means this chapter is now definitely over for the Polish player.
Although it's finished, it's still very fresh, and Swiatek can remember how hard the period was. She tested positive for trimetazidine in August, and in November, she accepted a one-month suspension.
During that period, tennis fans had no idea that the former WTA World No. 1 player tested positive for a banned substance. She wasn't competing, but, at the time, Swiatek blamed her absence on "personal reasons."
But that period was very important for Swiatek. She wanted to protect her image after testing positive and share the news once she knew what really happened.
That's why the 23-year-old posted an official statement once her positive test was made public by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). At that time, all parties involved already knew what happened, and Swiatek was able to explain it.
For the five-time Grand Slam champion, that was very important. She believes that being able to explain the full story to her fans was very important to keep her image of a fair athlete.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Swiatek explained that keeping her case a secret during the period when it was being investigated wasn't easy, but at the same time, it was very important to her.
"For sure, it wasn’t easy to keep everything inside. On the other hand, I had my support team and my family as well. So I think it’s important for your closest ones to be there when you need them."
"Also, I know that it would be tricky if the info got out to the public earlier because without the proper explanation and actually without the whole process that happened afterwards, of me proving that I’m not guilty… I think without this, people will judge me straight away."
Although keeping the case a secret was challenging, Swiatek admitted that the even worse part was probably not knowing what would happen.
She's the type of person who likes to have control of everything, which is why she felt helpless when she couldn't change the outcome of her situation in any way in this case.
"The most difficult thing was just not knowing what’s going to happen with me for some time, not having my own fate in my hands. It was a tough lesson because I’m a control freak."
This chapter is now closed for Swiatek, and she can focus on her results on the tennis courts. At the moment, she's competing at the Qatar Open in Doha, where she'll attempt to win her fourth consecutive title.
