Swiatek Refuses To Share Details Of Conversation With Boulter After Controversial Match
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Iga Swiatek deflected questions about what she and Katie Boulter discussed during an exchange after their dramatic contest at the 2025 United Cup.
Swiatek is playing her first tournament of the new season at the team event held in Perth and Sydney. It is also her first WTA tournament since the news of her doping case became publicly known on November 28th.
The five-time Grand Slam champion accepted a one-month ban for testing positive for trimetazidine. She had been provisionally suspended from September 12th to October 4th until further testing proved melatonin tablets she bought had been contaminated.
There were doubts about how high Swiatek's level would be during her first WTA event since the suspension. Her first appearance of any type was at last month's World Tennis League, an exhibition held in Abu Dhabi.
Swiatek has answered those questions emphatically. The 23-year-old began her United Cup campaign with Team Poland by thrashing Norway's Malene Helgo before winning a tight doubles match against Casper Ruud and Ulrikke Eikeri.
During the doubles contest involving Ruud, the crowd chanted "Ruuuuuuddd" after he hit good shots. Swiatek thought she was being booed when the fans did that and only realized what they were chanting afterward.
Swiatek's level was even more impressive during a straight-sets victory against the Czech Republic's runner-up Karolina Muchova. She teamed up with Hubert Hurkacz again to win the doubles, take the tie 2-1, and top the group.
Team Poland faced Great Britain in the quarterfinal. After Hurkacz won his first singles match of the event against Billy Harris, Swiatek knew a win against Katie Boulter would seal her country's place in the semifinal.
Boulter took the opening set of a high-quality contest on a tiebreak, but Swiatek raised her level further to win the next two 6-1, 6-4 after arguably the best match of this year's United Cup.
However, there was a controversial moment in the third set. After Boulter broke to go 2-1 up in the deciding set, Swiatek unexpectedly took a medical timeout despite not appearing ill or in pain during the match.
Swiatek insisted afterward that she did not take the medical timeout strategically and was not feeling well. The four-time French Open winner said she moved better after taking painkillers.
Although Boulter and Swiatek hugged at the net, they then had a conversation while Boulter shook hands with the other Team Poland members. Swiatek was asked about it at a press conference afterward but did not give many details.
"Well, I said, you know, that it was a great show and a great match. I wouldn't say it was long."
When asked again about what was said at the bench afterward, Swiatek made it clear that she did not want to provide the precise details of their conversation.
"Well, I'll keep it private."
While it would be unfair to accuse Swiatek of exaggerating her issues to take a medical timeout, any frustration Boulter and Team Great Britain felt about the sudden move is understandable.
