Swiatek Might Not Do Well At Australian Open Because Of 'Anxiousness' From Doping Case
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Former French Open semifinalist Andrea Petkovic does not rate Iga Swiatek's chances of succeeding at the Australian Open because of what she has gone through in her high-profile doping case.
Swiatek's doping case stunned tennis fans. It was the second high-profile case of 2024 after the ATP world No. 1 Jannik Sinner twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol at March's Indian Wells Open.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) initially cleared Sinner of wrongdoing, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A ruling is expected in the case sometime in 2025.
Swiatek's positive test for the prohibited clostebol was from an out-of-competition sample she submitted in August, a few days before the Cincinnati Open. The Pole was provisionally suspended on September 12th.
Her career could have been in real trouble, but Swiatek appealed on September 22nd, and further testing proved that the melatonin tablets she bought were contaminated with trimetazidine without her knowledge.
Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension from the ITIA, most of which she already served provisionally. WADA could appeal the case, but speculation in recent weeks suggests it is unlikely to do so.
The four-time French Open admitted she was very worried about how players would react to the news of her doping case, which became publicly known on November 28th. However, she is happy with how most have responded to it.
Former ATP world No. 1 Ilie Nastase is an exception to that warm reception. The Romanian claimed that Swiatek received more favorable treatment than his compatriot Simona Halep did in her case because she is Polish.
Swiatek recently practiced with her rival and the current WTA world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, demonstrating the acceptance the Pole has received from many, which came as a relief to her.
Although many players have supported Swiatek, the attention surrounding the doping case is still challenging for her. Andy Roddick fears that she might not handle that scrutiny as well as Sinner.
Petkovic, who has become a respected analyst since retiring, mentioned on an episode of the Rennae Stubbs Podcast that she initially expected Swiatek to thrive at the 2025 Australian Open, but the doping case has changed her view.
"I thought this was going to be the year, 2025, where Iga [Swiatek] does really well at the Australian Open.I know how her brain functions and I know she wants to get better at the things she is not as good at yet, and I know she has worked specifically in the off season on that."
"I just think that with her personality and her anxiousness there might be some residue in the first month. I just don’t know if she can bring it in the first month on a surface which traditionally doesn’t suit her well with all the residue of what happened at the end of the season."
"Once she shakes it off I think she will start playing really well again. I think she will be great in 2025, even better than she was this year."
