Eugenie Bouchard takes a dig at Iga Swiatek; echoes Nick Kyrgios' sentiments about the Pole's doping test row

Eugenie Bouchard seemingly took a dig at Iga Swiatek as she echoed Nick Kyrgios' sentiments about the Pole's doping test controversy.

Swiatek tested positive for a banned substance named trimetazidine, a medication used to treat heart-related conditions, during an out-of-competition drug test in August. The Pole was provisionally suspended as a result. She later explained that the presence of trimetazidine was caused by contamination of a non-prescribed medication, melatonin, that she had been taking to deal with jet lag.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) judged Swiatek's statement valid, accepting a one-month suspension.

"The product does not have the same designation globally, and the fact that a product is a regulated medication in one country cannot of itself be sufficient to avoid any level of fault. Taking into account the nature of the medication, and all the circumstances, it does place that fault at the lowest end of the scale," ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said in an official statement.

Nick Kyrgios, however, expressed disapproval of the Pole's explanation, deeming it an "excuse". In a post shared on X, the Australian stated that top sports professionals could easily avoid accountability for such allegations by being naive about them.

"The excuse that we can all use is that we didn’t know. Simply didn’t know. Professionals at the highest level of sport can now just say “we didn’t know," Kyrgios wrote.

Bouchard resonated with Kyrgios' opinion and took a dig at Iga Swiatek, as she replied:

"Guess so"

This is not the first time that Bouchard has found herself in the middle of a doping controversy. Last year, the Canadian suggested that she had information about Simona Halep's doping ban, but that she had been advised not to share anything about the situation.

---

Amid Iga Swiatek's doping test row, Nick Kyrgios leaves Pole's team at World Tennis League

Iga Swiatek at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals (Source: Getty)

Nick Kyrgios left Iga Swiatek's team at the 2024 World Tennis League (WTL) amid the Pole's doping test row. The Australian was initially part of Team Eagles at the mixed-gender exhibition tournament. However, he opted to switch teams, now representing Team Kites.

Kyrgios will partner with Jasmine Paolini and tennis power couple Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa, for the last year's runners-up. Ruud, who was initially part of the team, replaced Kyrgios for Team Eagles. Barbora Krejcikova and Hubert Hurkacz complete Iga Swiatek's team.

The WTL is set to commence its third season on December 19 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The opening day will witness Swiatek's Eagles take on Nick Kyrgios' Kites.