Five-time grand slam champion Iga Swiatek failed a drugs test and the fallout from it has rocked the sport of tennis.
World number two Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine in an out-of-competition sample in August but the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted it was caused by melatonin contamination – a regulated non-prescription medication which she allegedly took for sleep issues.
Swiatek’s actions were deemed to have fallen under the ITIA’s ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’ criteria, with the 23-year-old accepting a one-month suspension that expired on December 4.
This led 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios to write “THIS SPORT IS COOKED” on social media, in reply to fellow tennis player Benjamin Lock.
Now, Swiatek’s coach, Wim Fissette, has hit back at his charge’s critics following this doping incident.
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Swiatek coach responds to Kyrgios amid doping saga
Former Belgian professional tennis player Fissette accepted there will always be criticism when a revelation such as this comes to light.
However, the former coach of Naomi Osaka and Kim Clijsters questioned if Swiatek’s detractors had actually read the ITIA’s verdict.
He told Polish publication Onet: “There will always be people who will be negative. But I think that anyone who has read all the documents that Iga has provided and shown to the whole world, sees what happened – and should understand that it was just bad luck.
“It can happen to any player. I think that those people who are negative about the case, we should ask a few questions about Iga’s report and thus check whether they have actually read it.”
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Simona Halep criticises Iga Swiatek doping ruling
Following the news of her suspension, Swiatek said this was the “toughest battle of her life”.
Two-time grand slam winner Simona Halep, who missed 18 months of tennis after testing positive for roxadustat, then questionned the “big difference” in how her case and Swiatek’s were handled.
She wrote on Instagram: “I stand and ask myself, why is there such a big difference in treatment and judgment? I can’t find and I don’t think there can be a logical answer.
“It can only be bad will from ITIA, the organization that has done absolutely everything to destroy me despite the evidence.”
This comes months after world number one Jannik Sinner tested positive for clostebol in March.
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