Iga Swiatek won her fifth Grand Slam title in 2024, as she further established herself as one of the best players in the women’s game.
It was another strong year on the WTA Tour for the Polish star, as she won five titles and finished the year as world number two.
Swiatek won the Italian Open earlier this year, her fourth WTA 1000 triumph of 2024, having already taken home titles in Qatar, Indian Wells, and Madrid.
Perhaps the best moment of her season came at Roland Garros, when Swiatek won her third consecutive French Open title, as she beat Jasmine Paolini in the final.
It was a fantastic year, but one that took a nasty turn recently as news broke of Swiatek’s doping violation, which saw her receive a one-month suspension.
That suspension is now over, but her name has certainly been tarnished, as many fans online continue to accuse her of cheating, despite findings showing that Swiatek’s level of fault was low.
One tennis legend has chimed in to suggest that Swiatek should talk to another top tennis star who has also been accused of doping in 2024.
Andy Roddick tells Iga Swiatek she should ask Jannik Sinner how he deals with doping criticism
Speaking ahead of the 2025 tennis season, former world number one Andy Roddick gave his thoughts on Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek’s doping cases and how the latter will deal with the inevitable criticism.
“We’ll see,” he said.
“Their personalities are a little bit different.
“Jannik [Sinner] is a little bit calmer, when I played I was pretty hyper and anxious.
“I think Iga is [more similar], I’m not comparing myself to Iga as she is way better than I ever was, but her intensity is her calling card.
“Jannik was able to separate what is going on outside of the court versus the job I have to do on a day-to-day basis.”
Sinner could potentially be banned for up to a year, as his original doping verdict has been appealed in one of the stories of the season.
Roddick went on to suggest what Swiatek should ask Sinner, as she deals with the criticism that comes with a doping violation.
“If I am Iga I am probably calling him and saying are there any hacks that have helped you deal with it the way you have?
“You have almost got better in the post-mortem of the announcement.”
The 2003 US Open champion went on to advise Swiatek to stay calm ahead of the upcoming onslaught of doping-related questions.
“There will certainly be things to deal with, she is going to get asked about it every time,” he said.
“It will be as if whoever has asked the question hasn’t been able to read her responses before, they are going to make her say it again and again.
“If I’m in her corner I would just say don’t have a moment where you are exhausted by it, just be patient with the process and do what you have to do.
“The more emotion you show, the more likely it is to be a story over and over again.”
What has Iga Swiatek said about her doping violation?
Swiatek took to social media after the news broke recently, informing her fans of the situation that led to her one-month suspension.
In the video, the 23-year-old described the situation as: “The toughest battle of my life”
Since then, Swiatek’s immediate reaction to her doping violation has been revealed, as she spoke to Polish news outlet TVN24.
“My reaction was very violent, it was a mixture of incomprehension and panic, there was a lot of crying,” she said.
“My managers said that my reaction was as if someone had died or something serious had happened to my health.
“I’m glad I wasn’t alone because I was able to hand them the phone and show them what happened.”
Luckily for Swiatek, she has now served her suspension and can focus on the future, where she will be looking to achieve big things in the new year.
A maiden Australian Open title and a return to number one in the world rankings are surely at the top of her list in 2025.
Swiatek will begin her season at the United Cup which begins on December 27.
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