Iga Swiatek makes brutally honest admission about the fears that plagued her after doping controversy came out

Iga Swiatek, the former World No.1, was recently accused of doping. She received a one-month suspension after testing positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), which is a prohibited substance.

A provisional suspension lasting from September 12th to October 4th was handed to her. During this period, she missed three major tournaments: the WTA 500 Hana Bank Korea Open, the WTA 1000 China Open, and the WTA 1000 Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency conducted an investigation which found that Swiatek had been consuming unprescribed melatonin. The medication is commonly used to counter jetlag and sleep issues, leading the player to opt for the same. This revelation led the committee to uplift the violation by deeming the situation unintentional.

The Polish star recently opened up about her feelings regarding the whole experience in a recent video shared by the Tennis Insider Club. She acknowledged feeling extremely tense at the beginning, as the uncertainty about the duration of the suspension weighed heavily on her. She said:

"I fought for everything so hard the past years. What if people are going to, in their head, take it away from me? What if they're going to look at me differently? I was home at the time and still there were people coming for autographs or for a selfie. And I was like 'Well, are you gonna do that in one month?"

However, she found solace in knowing that she had not done anything wrong.

“You can be at peace with yourself that you didn't do anything wrong, but no one actually treats you like that… Especially the people that are kind of prosecuting you. Even when you’re telling the truth, you feel like they treat you like a liar,” she added.

She further shared that, even when you know you’ve done nothing wrong, the external world might not see it that way. She emphasized how the investigation process can be emotionally taxing as well.

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Nick Kyrgios comments on the doping controversy faced by Iga Swiatek

Nick Kyrgios at the Brisbane International Press Conference - Source: Getty

Many fingers were pointed at Swiatek after she tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ). In a recent press conference at Brisbane International, Nick Kyrgios said:

"Two world No. 1s both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport. It's a horrible look."

In March 2024, the current men's World No. 1 also tested positive for an anabolic steroid but did not serve a ban.

Kyrgios also claimed that the tennis integrity was "awful" and that people did not like it when he was being honest about things.