Table of Contents
- Iga Swiatek crying after doping saga remains her lowest moment in her tennis career
- The 2024 WTA season was her hardest. She was under pressure to match her 2022 record after winning the French Open and the US Open
- She cried for two weeks straight, and her whole face would always turn red
Iga Swiatek crying after doping saga remains her lowest moment in her tennis career, she admits.
The 2024 WTA season was her hardest. She was under pressure to match her 2022 record after winning the French Open and the US Open.
Fans were on her case in 2024 shortly after she successfully defended her French Open title for a third time. Before then, she had low on-court moments after losing crucial matches.
Then, her grandfather passed away, and it drained her emotionally, which affected her performance.
Just before she recovered, a positive doping test sprang, nearly crushing her mental health.
Was Iga Swiatek Crying After Doping Test?
The 24-year-old recently confessed how she shed tears for two weeks straight. This followed an email from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirming that she tested positive for trimetazidine (TMD).
TMD is a banned drug by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and she would serve a one-month tennis ban.
Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek. She cried for two weeks after her doping ban by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). She felt as though, her entire career was over. Photo/Tennis World USA
That was the beginning of Iga Swiatek crying after doping. She had served a temporary ban in October following the doping test done shortly after the 2024 US Open.
How Did Iga Swiatek Dope?
In her defence after the positive doping test, Swiatek explained that she took TMD by mistake from a non-prescription drug, melatonin, which she bought in Poland.
She explained that she took melatonin to cure her jet lag effects and insomnia. She wasn’t aware that it contained TMD, categorised as a banned substance under the WADA code.
World No.3 tennis star Iga Swiatek. Photo/Stadium Astro
Although a 30-day ban was lenient enough, it would stop Iga Swiatek from crying after doping. She only served a week of that ban since she had served a three-week provisional ban while awaiting ITIA’s verdict.
However, the six-time Grand Slam champion lost $158,944 in prize money and 390 ranking points, in addition to the tennis ban.
She missed three WTA 1000 tournaments in Wuhan and Beijing.
Swiatek Opens Up on Life After Doping Ban
Speaking at the Served With Andy Roddick podcast, Swiatek described the whole experience as terrible.
She saw the email from ITIA informing her of the tennis ban while in the middle of a photoshoot in Warsaw, in the company of a sponsor. She started crying even before she read its contents.
Iga Swiatek won the Wimbledon on Saturday after beating Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 in 57 minutes. Photo/ Tennis365.
It’s her manager who read it and informed the rest of the team about ITIA’s decision. She cried for 40 minutes before gathering herself up with a chilli-red face.
Her situation became worse as several quarters attacked her online, saying that ITIA was biased in handling her a one-month ban while others served a ban lasting over a year.
WTA player Taare Moore was critical about Swiatek’s ban, stating that he was handed a 19-month ban for doping through contamination, just like Swiatek. More voices spoke, and they only left Iga Swiatek crying after doping.
Moore, a British tennis player defended herself saying she ate contaminated Colombian meat, but failed to convince ITIA of her innocence.
To her, corruption was the reason Swiatek walked away with a 30-day tennis ban after her positive doping test.
