Swiatek's Controversial Psychologist Gets Tattoo In Honor Of Her Medal At Olympics
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Iga Swiatek's psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, shared a picture of a tattoo she received in recognition of her and another Olympic athlete's medal wins in Paris last year.
Swiatek is playing her first tournament of the 2025 season at the United Cup, representing Team Poland. She was particularly impressed during a straight-set victory against the Czech Republic's Karolina Mucova.
The WTA world No. 2 is probably relieved to start the new season strongly after being in the headlines during the off-season for unwanted reasons after her positive test for the banned substance trimetazidine became public in November.
Swiatek was provisionally suspended on September 12th but had it lifted on October 4th after further testing proved her explanation that melatonin tablets she bought were contaminated with trimetazidine without her knowledge.
That led to Swiatek being given a one-month suspension, most of which she already served while provisionally banned. The four-time French Open champion began the new season at the United Cup as initially planned without restrictions.
Reactions to Swiatek's doping case have varied. Her rival and the current WTA world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, argued that many fans jump to conclusions too quickly before knowing all the facts of doping cases.
The Pole's coach, Wim Fissette, robustly defended her. He questioned whether those criticizing the 2022 US Open champion had read the details of the case and thinks anyone being fair would realize Swiatek was unfortunate.
Nick Kyrgios has been critical of Swiatek and Jannik Sinner, who also tested positive for a prohibited substance in 2024. The controversial 29-year-old recently called the cases disgusting for the image of tennis.
Swiatek's 2024 season was mixed by her very high standards before the stress of her doping scandal became known. The best moment was saving a match point against Naomi Osaka during her run to another French Open title.
The former WTA world No. 1 was a significant favorite to secure an Olympic gold medal in the women's singles because the tennis events at the Paris games were being held at Roland Garros, the French Open venue.
However, Swiatek was stunned by the eventual gold medalist Qinwen Zheng in the semifinal. The 23-year-old obtained a bronze medal, but her tears after losing to Zheng showed how desperate she was to win gold.
Nonetheless, winning an Olympic medal of any color is still an outstanding achievement. Her psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, demonstrated that fact by getting a tattoo of Paris' iconic Eiffel Tower in recognition of her and another Polish medal winner.
A picture of Abramowicz's tattoo can be viewed below. It includes two dates: August 2nd, 2024, which was the date Swiatek claimed her bronze medal, and August 7th, 2024, the date that climber Aleksandra Miroslaw won a gold medal.
Swiatek and Miroslaw have both praised Abramowicz's influence in the past. The psychologist travels with Swiatek to most tournaments and is there to help the 23-year-old stay mentally strong on and off-court.
There were rumors that Swiatek's former coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, left her team because he felt Abramowicz had too much influence, but the 43-year-old dismissed that speculation and called it fake news.
