Amid Iga Swiatek's struggles, tennis analyst wonders if "more is going on behind the scenes"

Famous American radio personality Gill Gross predicted mysterious things going behind the scenes for Iga Swiatek. According to the podcaster, Swiatek was hit by an extreme mental toll after learning that she's not going back to the World No. 1 spot for a while now. This came in regard to the gap in points she incurred because of the suspension in 2024.

Świątek tested positive for trimetazidine, a banned substance, in August 2024 due to contaminated melatonin she used for sleep issues. The International Tennis Integrity Agency acknowledged her lack of significant fault, resulting in a one-month suspension. This included a provisional suspension from September 12 to October 4. During this period, she missed three tournaments, resulting in a gap between her and Aryna Sabalenka's ranking points.

Looking back to the chaos, podcaster Gill Gross addressed Iga Swiatek's current situation. While he believed that a drop in rankings was quite common in the sport, he explained how the Pole's desire to reclaim her spot might have taken a hit on her headspace. This, according to him, is because of her recent setbacks.

“However, it is clear that Iga is not in a good headspace now, and I think that is the main reason for her current struggles. There may be technical issues, but I am not good enough to spot them," he said, in a recent episode of the Monday Match Analysis podcast.

Gross also addressed how the gap in ranking points after her suspension in 2024 is where things started going worse.

“She really wanted to defend the number one ranking last year, and couldn't because of the suspension for the failed doping test. Now she wants to reclaim it, but because she is defending so many points from this time last year, it dawned on her that she would not be able to reclaim the number one ranking for a long time, which she has struggled to accept," he added.

Besides presenting his theory behind the mental chaos, Gross also assumed that there could be something mysterious going on with her.

"I also wonder if there may be more going on behind the scenes that we don't know about," the podcaster said.

Iga Swiatek made it to the semifinals in Melbourne, Qatar, and Indian Wells but couldn't secure a title. Her rival, Aryna Sabalenka, on the other hand, emerged victorious in Miami, extending the gap in ranking points.

Iga Swiatek prepares for the 2024 rematch in Rome against Aryna Sabalenka

Iga Swiatek at the Miami Open 2025 - Source: Getty

WTA star Iga Swiatek is all set to begin her clay-court dominance in Stuttgart. While she managed to take down Aryna Sabalenka at the WTA 1000 event in Rome in 2024, the Belarusian has another chance to challenge the crown.

Seeded first in the upcoming tournament, Sabalenka will have a chance to compete against tough rivals, including Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Madison Keys, Jasmine Paolini and others.

Second seed Iga Swiatek, on the other hand, will look to defend her title as she continues to chase the 3000+ ranking points gap between her and the World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka.