Iga Swiatek finds herself among a group of professional players who can somewhat empathise with Jannik Sinner after his three-month ban was confirmed.
Coco Gauff wants an updated doping process after Sinner’s decision, whereby he accepted a three-month ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Carlos Alcaraz had ‘little to say’ about Sinner after his ban, which sees him suspended from February 9 to May 4.
Having just lifted the Australian Open trophy, Sinner can make a return in time for the French Open in mid-May.
The world number one was cleared of any wrongdoing after twice testing positive for clostebol last year, but WADA launched an appeal over that decision.
Iga Swiatek hopes Jannik Sinner can recover from ban as soon as possible
But that appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) has now been withdrawn, with Sinner reaching a settlement with WADA.
Having accepted a one-month ban for doping late last year, Swiatek has now issued her thoughts on the decision.
“Well, honestly there’s no point to overthink it,” she said in her opening press conference ahead of her next event in Dubai.
“I didn’t think much. Every case is different. Every story is different, for sure. Because of Jannik’s or my situation, we are like kind of even celebrities, besides playing tennis.
“Everybody thinks of it from a hundred different perspectives. But I just try to stick to the facts and read the documents.
“I trust that the process at the end went fair. That’s the only thing I do because I try not to judge. I know that for Jannik, I don’t know because I haven’t talked to him, but I assume that it must have been a tough time, tough process. I’ve been through something similar.
“But yeah, so I guess I don’t wish for any player for these kind of things to happen. I hope he’s going to be over it soon and he will just get back to tennis.”
Iga Swiatek has ‘no reason to compare’ her case with Jannik Sinner’s
Unlike Sinner’s very public case, Swiatek managed to largely avoid media attention as she cited fatigue for missing various tournaments last year.
Those absences were ultimately due to her ban, which arose after she tested positive for heart medication trimetazidine.
The Pole lost her number one ranking to Aryna Sabalenka at the time, with their battle set for another run this week in Dubai.
But much of the focus on Swiatek pre-tournament has involved Sinner, with the WTA star also asked if she was concerned if her case would be reopened after WADA appealed the Italian’s.
“No,” she replied. “Because as I said, every case is different. There’s no reason to compare and put these two things beside each other.
“So yeah, it was totally different from the beginning. Also we provided all the documentation really precisely.
“We did all we needed and we followed the instructions, so there was no space and no point for WADA to appeal even, I would say.
“So yeah, I was pretty sure that I’ll be done with it because my case was just a contamination. I found the source. That’s it.”
Also asked if it is annoying that her name continues to appear in light of the decision on Sinner, she said: “I think this is just what people do. I think it’s also easier for the media to describe these things when they put them next to each other.
“I don’t think in reality there’s any influence and any connection because there are so many different factors, different substances, different ways of this thing getting into our bodies.
“Again, like different also ruling. Then different appeals and stuff, like legal things. I think the media is connecting it.
“You guys are connecting it because it’s just easier to describe it that way. I think this is how people’s minds work.
“Like fans, when they read this stuff, they automatically connect it to each other. But this is not the same and not similar. So in my head, I just focus on myself.
“And, again, I hope that soon it’s going, all these processes are going to be more smooth and more logical sometimes.
“Mine was, like, super abstract. From the beginning I knew that this was a contamination. The whole period when I was suspended was just for me something pretty unreal and something I couldn’t understand. But this is how it works.
“I just focus on myself and I’m kind of done with it. Obviously it was, what, not even a year ago, so I guess I will be asked by you. But I don’t mind. I hope in the future it will pass and we can focus on next things.”
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
