At the upcoming United Cup, top Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek is stepping into a leadership role amidst recent challenges. Swiatek openly discussed her one-month suspension, which she received after testing positive for a banned substance in August.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted Swiatek's explanation that the positive test was due to a contaminated dose of melatonin. Reflecting on the experience, Swiatek expressed confidence in the fairness of the process.
\"I'm not expecting an appeal, but I have, kind of, no influence on what's going to happen and, but, I can say from the process that I went through, and how they treated me from the beginning that it seemed, you know, fair for me. I managed to give the source pretty quickly,\" Swiatek stated.
She continued, \"That's why the case closed, you know, pretty quickly, but still I didn't play tournaments, and I kind of, I got a fine, small one, symbolic one, but it's over now. So I guess, in my opinion, it was a fair process, and I trust ITIA that any case they do, they're going to treat every player the same way and fairly.\"
Now, as World No. 2, Swiatek is preparing to lead Poland in Group B against the Czech Republic and Norway at the season-opening mixed team event in Sydney. Her leadership and resilience are expected to be pivotal for Poland's performance in the tournament.
Reference(s):
Swiatek discusses doping ban ahead of Poland's United Cup campaign
cgtn.com
