'We Were So Close': Swiatek Determined To Win United Cup After Last Year's Heartbreak

Tuesday, 24 December 2024 at 09:07

byJordan Reynolds

Iga Swiatek will begin her 2025 season at the United Cup and hopes to take the next step after being inches away from last year's title with Team Poland.

Top players like Swiatek starting their campaigns always attract attention, but the 23-year-old will be particularly grateful to compete in the opening week of the season after her stress-inducing doping scandal.

Swiatek received a provisional suspension on September 12th after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine from an out-of-competition sample she submitted in August, a few days before the Cincinnati Open.

The four-time French Open champion successfully appealed the provisional ban and had it lifted on October 4th after further testing proved her explanation that the melatonin tablets she bought were contaminated.

Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension, most of which she had already served provisionally. That means she can return to professional tennis at the start of the 2025 WTA season.

The Pole made her first appearance at an event since that story became public at the recent World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi. That included competing against Aryna Sabalenka, who broke her silence about Swiatek's case at the exhibition event.

Another notable moment was Simona Halep giving Swiatek a respectful handshake after a match at the World Tennis League despite speaking bitterly about what she felt was unfair treatment in her doping case compared to the Pole's.

Swiatek is one of several high-profile players set to compete at the United Cup. The team event, which starts on December 27th, is unique because it brings together ATP and WTA stars while also letting them represent their countries.

Coco Gauff will make her debut at the tournament when representing Team USA. The Americans won the first iteration of the tournament two years ago, and Gauff is determined to bring the trophy back to her home country.

Team Poland could not have come closer to winning last year's United Cup. Hubert Hurkacz had championship points against Alexander Zverev but went on to lose before he and Swiatek fell in the deciding doubles match to Zverev and Laura Siegemund.

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Speaking to Tennis Australia, Swiatek reflected on last year's tournament. She remembers it positively despite coming so close to winning the title.

"Last year we were so close, [Had] match points in Hubie's [Hurckacz's] match. So for sure this year we want to have another chance and hopefully go to the latest stages of the tournament to fight for winning it because I think the Polish team is amazing."

"We have great experience already playing together. Last year's match brings a lot of emotions but I still remember it as a positive one, even though we lost the last one. It was pretty entertaining for sure."

The world No. 2 also spoke about the conditions in Perth and Sydney for the United Cup and the challenge of being in a group with the Czech Republic. Norway are the other team in Poland's group.

"Pretty different conditions than what we have in Sydney and Melbourne. So I'm going to spend the next days also practicing hard and getting used to the conditions. Overall, I think my preparations were pretty great even though they were short because my season ended later than usual."

"I think they're both going to be tough matches, especially the one against the Czech Republic. With Karolina Muchova I've always played pretty good battles, three setters usually. So it's going to be pretty exciting. But for how I'm just going step-by-step and focusing on the first battles here."