Iga Swiatek shares her 'horror' & 'disappointment' over negative media spotlight on her after doping saga

Iga Swiatek shared the 'horror' and 'disappointment' she went through amid her doping saga and admitted that though she loved tennis, she wouldn't allow the sport to mar her honor and values. The Pole also opened up about how she realized people looking at her negatively during her ordeal.

The tennis world was sent into a frenzy yet again when, after Jannik Sinner, another top tennis player Swiatek tested positive for a banned substance. The Pole tested positive for Trimetazidine during an out-of-competition test in August.

However, the ITIA (International Tennis Integrity Agency) came to the conclusion that the former World No. 1 bore 'No Significant Fault or Negligence' and hence just handed a one-month suspension. The leniency of the punishment divided the tennis fraternity into two halves, one that defended Swiatek, the other that didn't.

In her latest interview with Anita Werner in Fakty po Faktach on TVN24, Iga Swiatek admitted that she initially blamed tennis for the ordeal she was enduring. She also mentioned that she could feel people looking at her with judgy eyes since the controversy.

"Horror," Swiatek said. "And a huge disappointment. At first, I thought that all this happened to me because I play tennis. Just going out on the court was painful. The truth is that I love playing tennis, but not enough to sacrifice my honor or my values. Here I was put in a situation where suddenly people could judge me very negatively because of what happened - she explained her, fortunately temporary, 'tennis aversion'."

"I had no influence on it and in a sense, the fact that I am an athlete got me into this situation. At first, I had to work very hard not to think that way and find pleasure in tennis again," she added.

Swiatek mentioned the huge role played by her hitting partner Tomek Moczek in making her rekindle her relationship with tennis.

"We just had fun on the court" - Iga Swiatek opens up about the importance of her partner Tomek Moczek

Iga Swiatek - Source: Getty

Iga Swiatek also mentioned how her hitting partner Tomek Moczek helped her find the 'fun' of playing tennis again. The five-time Major champion admitted that she wouldn't go for training for the initial few days after finding out about the results, which she received on 12 September.

"If it wasn't for my sparring partner Tomek Moczek, who at the beginning did the same training with me that you do for children, we just had fun on the court, I think I wouldn't go out for training at all," the Pole said.

Iga Swiatek broke her silence on her doping saga via an Instagram video, where she chronicled the details of what went down. She also mentioned that felt extremely 'anxious' and 'shocked' after finding herself in such a situation.

Swiatek ended her 2024 season with a phenomenal 61-9 win/loss record. She completed the three-peat at the French Open and also won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics. She was last seen in action at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, where Poland lost in the semifinals.