Iga Swiatek has issued a statement detailing the impact of her positive doping test on her status at the top of women’s tennis, saying that she spent “three weeks crying daily.” That was before the weight of its influence on her quest to regain the No. 1 ranking affected her on-court demeanor and, she said, “struck hard” at the WTA 1,000 tournament in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where she lost to eventual champion Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals.
Swiatek, the world No. 2, discussed its impact in an Instagram post following her run at Indian Wells last week, where she again lost to Andreeva, this time in the last four. During the match, she hit a ball into the ground in frustration and in the general direction of a ball-kid. Subsequent online criticism prompted Swiatek to write the 645-word note, in which she spoke of the “constant judgment” she has felt as a result.
“When I’m highly focused and don’t show many emotions on court, I’m called a robot, my attitude labeled as inhuman,” she wrote.
“Now that I’m more expressive, showing feelings or struggling internally, I’m suddenly labeled immature or hysterical.”
Addressing the incident directly, Swiatek wrote: “I see there’s been a lot of recent talk about changes in my on-court behavior and emotions. Although I’m not comfortable explaining myself, it’s time I share my perspective to stop the speculation and baseless theories.
“First, about the incident during my last match.
“It’s true — I expressed frustration in a way l’m not proud of. My intention was never to aim the ball at anyone but merely to release my frustration by bouncing it on the ground. I immediately apologized to the ball boy, we made eye contact, and nodded to each other when I expressed regret that it happened near him.
“I’ve seen many players bounce balls in frustration, and frankly, I didn’t expect such harsh judgments. Usually, I control such impulses, so half-jokingly I can say I lack experience in this and misjudged my aim in the heat of the moment.”
Swiatek has appeared frustrated at various points this season, in which she has played exceptional tennis but not quite gotten over the line in tournaments, losing to the eventual champion (Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Andreeva in Dubai and Indian Wells) on three occasions. Following her loss at the Dubai Open last month, video footage showed an angry Swiatek walking through the grounds and ignoring her coach Wim Fissette’s attempt to shake her hand.
A week earlier, Swiatek smashed her racket during a one-sided defeat to Jelena Ostapenko at the Qatar Open in Doha, an event she had won in each of the previous three years.
In her note on Monday, Swiatek asked that the emotion she has shown of late be placed in proper context — pointing to the toll that last year’s positive doping test has taken on her. Swiatek was given a provisional suspension in September after testing positive for a trace concentration of the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ). The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ultimately issued her with a one-month ban, after ruling that Swiatek’s ingestion of TMZ was not intentional.
It accepted her explanation and evidence that she had taken a contaminated dose of melatonin, which she had used to help her sleep to combat jet lag. Swiatek missed three events as a result of the ban, which was not made public at the time. She cited “personal matters” as the reason for missing the first of them. The missed events caused Swiatek to lose her No. 1 ranking.
In an interview last month, Swiatek said that “the most difficult thing was just not knowing what’s going to happen with me for some time, not having my own fate in my hands. It was a tough lesson because I’m a control freak.”
The difficulty of that period has bled into 2025, and Swiatek is now without a title since last year’s French Open, mounting unsuccessful defences in Doha and Indian Wells over the last few weeks. And for a player who has always placed a huge amount of importance on the mental side of the game, working closely with psychologist Daria Abramowicz, Swiatek says she has struggled with her wellbeing.
“It’s never easy, and it’s particularly challenging for me right now,” she said of “working on oneself.”
“Sport is not played by robots. I’ve had three incredible seasons, but nothing comes effortlessly, and there’s no guarantee results will always be easy or under control. That’s life, and that’s sport. Sometimes even I forget that.”
Of the fact she’s seen as either robotic or too emotional, Swiatek wrote: “That’s not a healthy standard — especially considering that just six months ago, I felt my career was hanging by a thread, spent three weeks crying daily, and didn’t want to step on the court. Today, after everything I’ve been through, I’m still processing and coming to terms with those experiences.”
Other players like the French world No. 74 Caroline Garcia have spoken over the last year about the damage done by online criticism, and Swiatek added: “Will sharing this change anything? Probably not, because I clearly see how much we love judging, creating theories, and imposing opinions on others.
“But perhaps a few people who genuinely want to understand what I’m experiencing will understand this. In any case, this external standard is definitely not my standard, and I don’t accept my team and me being boxed into external expectations.”
Swiatek is next in action at the Miami Open, which gets under way this week.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Tennis, Women’s Tennis
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