Iga Swiatek, the 24-year-old Polish tennis phenom and world No. 3, has long been a beacon of resilience on the WTA tour, with six Grand Slam titles and a reputation for unshakable focus. But in a raw and revealing moment, she recently opened up about the devastating emotional toll of a doping scandal that rocked her world in 2024, leaving her face “red” from intense crying and her career teetering on the edge. As she prepares for her second-round match at the 2025 National Bank Open in Montreal, Swiatek’s candid reflections on the ordeal, shared during an interview on the *Served with Andy Roddick* podcast, paint a vivid picture of a champion grappling with fear, loss, and the fight to reclaim her integrity.
The nightmare began in August 2024, when Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a banned heart medication, during an out-of-competition test before the Cincinnati Open. The news hit her like a thunderbolt while she was in the middle of a sponsor photoshoot in Warsaw. “I was in a photoshoot with a sponsor in Warsaw, and I was in the middle of it. We were just changing locations. I went on my email and I saw that an email from this portal, and I thought it was just a reminder to do my whereabouts or something,” Swiatek recalled. “I didn’t even read it because I started crying, and my agents who were at the shoot thought that someone had died.” Her face red from sobbing for nearly 40 minutes, Swiatek was so shaken she questioned whether she could continue the shoot. Yet, in a testament to her professionalism, she pressed on, later joking, “I have to say, it was after learning about my doping case that I did my best poses—I must really be a good actress!”
The positive test, which Swiatek described as the “worst experience of my life,” led to a one-month suspension from September 12 to October 4, 2024, forcing her to miss three tournaments, including the China Open and Wuhan Open. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ultimately cleared her of intentional wrongdoing, accepting that the trace amount of TMZ—50 pg/ml—stemmed from contaminated melatonin tablets she took for jet lag and sleep issues. “In the last two-and-a-half months, I was subject to strict ITIA proceedings, which confirmed my innocence,” she said in an Instagram video, her voice heavy with the weight of the ordeal. The investigation involved rigorous testing of her supplements, with two WADA-accredited labs confirming the contamination in a Polish-manufactured melatonin product, LEK-AM Melatonina.
For Swiatek, the emotional fallout was profound. “When everything came out [publicly], I was basically crying for two weeks, couldn’t practice, because I felt that tennis did this to me and that I’m in this place because of tennis,” she confessed. “I felt like I was losing my integrity, like no one is going to believe me that I didn’t do anything wrong and that the whole world would turn their backs on me.” The fear of losing her reputation, built through years of dominance, including four French Open titles and the 2022 U.S. Open, was paralyzing. She leaned heavily on her team, particularly her psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, who provided crucial support. “I called Daria, and we met during the shoot,” Swiatek said, crediting her for helping navigate the emotional storm.
The public reaction added another layer of complexity. While many fans and the WTA stood by her, with the organization stating, “Iga has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to fair play and upholding the principles of clean sport,” some critics, including players like Simona Halep and Nick Kyrgios, questioned the fairness of her short suspension compared to others. “I was scared that most people were going to turn their back on me,” Swiatek admitted, but she was heartened by the support in Poland. “I think their response has been more positive than I thought. I think people, most of them, are understanding.”
Swiatek’s resilience shone through as she returned to the court, culminating in her first Wimbledon title in July 2025, a 6-0, 6-0 rout of Amanda Anisimova that completed her Surface Slam. Now in Montreal, where she faces Guo Hanyu after a commanding 6-3, 6-1 first-round win, Swiatek is focused on reclaiming her momentum. “I’m really grateful to be able to play tennis again and to focus more on what happens on the court rather than what happened to me last year,” she told Roddick. Her journey through the doping scandal, marked by tears and self-doubt, underscores her strength as a champion who not only battles opponents but also her own fears, emerging stronger with every challenge. As she eyes the U.S. Open, Swiatek’s story is a powerful reminder that even the greatest athletes face moments of vulnerability, but it’s their ability to rise again that defines them.
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