'I felt like I was losing my integrity' - Iga Swiatek gets candid on her reaction to failed doping test

Former World No.1 Iga Swiatek broke a year-long title drought when she won her maiden Wimbledon title a few weeks ago. However, the Polish star was the subject of a high-profile doping scandal that rocked the WTA circuit last year.

Last year the 24-year old tested positive for trimetazidine, a prohibited substance. After an investigation by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, Swiatek was handed a one-month suspension in November 2024.

Although Swiatek would later explain that a batch of her non-prescription melatonin had been contaminated, the damage had been done. Several fans called for a stricter punishment, with many claiming she was receiving preferential treatment due to her top-rank and status.

In an episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Swiatek finally opened up on her feelings during this difficult period. The six-time Grand Slam champion revealed she was at a photo shoot when the news hit, and was devastated for weeks after the announcement.

Everything seemed surreal, recalls Swiatek

“I was in a photoshoot with a sponsor in Warsaw, and I was in the middle of it," said Swiatek. "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 of my whereabouts or something.
“I didn’t even read it because I started crying, and my agents who were at the shoot thought that someone had died. I gave my manager the phone and she read everything. They were, obviously, very confused because no one knows what to do in a situation like that. I had no idea if I should even continue the shoot, my face was all red, I was crying for about 40 minutes, but then – on the other hand – I knew that I couldn’t really tell them about it. So I just continued for the next few hours."

Swiatek would recount hiring a legal team, and how she tried her best to keep her world from falling apart. Furthermore, there were several parties who had begun labeling her a cheater, which greatly affected her state of mind.

"Honestly, I was a total mess, I was basically joking, was being sarcastic, because I just had to do something to keep it together," she added. “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.
“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 and that every accomplishment that I had would start to disappear."

After winning Wimbledon, Swiatek is slated to return at the Canadian Open, where she will take on China's Guo Hanyu in the second round.