"Iga Swiatek is sensitive" - Andy Roddick concerned whether Pole can handle doping questions like “calm” Jannik Sinner

Iga Swiatek recently found herself in a spate of controversy, having tested positive for a banned substance. As the 2025 season begins, she will be subject to many questions about the failed doping test. Andy Roddick believes the Pole is sensitive and might be unable to field the media scrutiny with calm like Jannik Sinner, who went through a similar struggle this year.

Both Swiatek and Sinner recently tested positive for banned substances, creating significant buzz in the tennis world. For Sinner, the news broke shortly after his victory at the Cincinnati Open, ahead of the US Open: a crucial period in the season.

The Italian faced significant criticism, while also defending a barrage of questions in press conferences at the US Open. This added immense pressure to his campaign.

Contrastingly, Swiatek’s positive test came out during off season. This spared her the immediate public scrutiny that comes with an active tournament schedule. She has thus been able to navigate the situation with relatively less exposure. However, as the 2025 season looms, she will inevitably face a media storm, particularly at the Australian Open.

During the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, the American shared concerns over how Swiatek might handle the questioning.

"My only concern for Iga Swiatek at scale is how she lands in Australia and how she deals with the questions. Because what is going to happen is that she is going to give the same answer to the same question for the same day for the next three months," Roddick said (via The Tennis Gazette).

"Lesser people would become impatient, I certainly would have. She is sensitive, you can see her emote more than Jannik Sinner, who keeps things calm and tight. I am just concerned about a coaching change, this news coming out, how she shows up in Australia," he added.

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"I can’t call it doping" - Andy Roddick's honest assessment of Iga Swiatek's doping controversy

Iga Swiatek training at the 2025 United Cup - Sydney (Image: Getty)

In August 2024, Iga Swiatek tested positive for a banned substance called trimetazidine. This was allegedly in the melatonin tablets she takes for better sleep. She addressed the situation by proving that the melatonin she consumed was contaminated, which led to her positive test.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined the contamination was unintentional, resulting in a one-month suspension. Reacting to the situation, during an episode of his podcast, Andy Roddick said:

"I can’t call it doping. It’s like taking a melatonin for jet lag at 2:30 in the morning in Cincy and having... think about how many things had to go wrong for Iga Swiatek to get popped for melatonin and something that was contaminated. It's just unfortunate for her [Swiatek] obviously."

Swiatek has now returned to competitive tennis and will take to the courts at the 2025 United Cup. She will represent Poland against Norway and the Czech Republic in Group B of the event in Sydney.