Author: Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday, January 10, 2025
Integrity is important Iga Swiatek. So much so that she was in a very dark place during her temporary suspension for having trace amounts of the banned substance trimetazidine in her system.
Swiatek said it was the worst moment of her life and she was worried about how she would be treated in the locker room. She said it has always been important to her to be a good role model among her peers, who she felt might react harshly to her.
“That’s the worst thing for me, as people would say,” Swiatek told reporters at Friday’s Australian Open media day. “Because I’ve always tried to be a good role model, show my integrity and exhibit good behavior.”
Swiatek, who ended up getting a month-long ban for Polish melatonin contamination, said the whole incident “scared her”.
“Not being able to control this case does scare me a little bit,” she said, adding that interactions with other players in the locker room helped calm her nerves. “In the dressing room, the girls are great. I’ve seen already at this exhibition in Abu Dhabi that they are very supportive.
In December, Pole’s suspension was officially lifted.
Swiatek said many players have asked her how they can protect themselves from testing positive if they are innocent.
“Most of them even come to me,” she said. “They’re like, ‘Hey, how can we avoid this? Is there any way we can be more careful? They’re worried it’s going to happen to them too. So in the locker room, it’s great. There’s a lot of The top players – I won’t name names – were really supportive and I’m really grateful because it made me feel better coming back and I didn’t know how.
Swiatek, the second seed from Melbourne, will face Katrina Siniakova in the first round. Playing her first Grand Slam with coach Wim Fissette, she is trying to reach her first Australian final. Her best result to date is reaching the semifinals in 2022.
