Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek has voiced her fear of public backlash after her one-month doping suspension.The 23-year-old tennis star tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a heart medication, in an out-of-competition test in August.Swiatek was ranked the world’s top female tennis player at the time of the test.The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined her positive was due to contamination.
Swiatek’s suspension and its impact on her career
Swiatek’s suspension, which ended on December 4, saw her miss three tournaments: Korea Open, China Open, and Wuhan Open.She was also forced to return her prize money from the Cincinnati Open.The ITIA found that the contamination that led to Swiatek’s positive test came from melatonin, a non-prescription drug she took for sleep problems and jet lag.
I’m not expecting an appeal
Swiatek opened up on the possibility of a WADA appeal.As per BBC, Swiatek said: “I was suspended for a long time and I lost [world] number one because of that. I also know how the procedure worked and I gave every possible evidence. There is not much, honestly, to do more. So I’m not expecting an appeal, but I have no influence on what’s going to happen.”
Swiatek’s future plans post-doping scandal
Now, Swiatek is eager to put the doping scandal behind her and focus on her tennis career.She will be playing her first tournament since the suspension, at the mixed-teams United Cup in Sydney.The event comes ahead of the Australian Open next month, marking a new chapter for Swiatek as she returns to competitive play after her brief hiatus due to the doping suspension.
Swiatek talks about the positive response
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the season-opening United Cup in Australia, Swiatek said: “I think their response has been more positive than I thought.”“I think most people are understanding and the ones who read the documents and are aware of how the system works know that I had no fault and I had no influence on what was going on,” she added.
