Iga Świątek didn’t forget her admirers ahead of Christmas. The world No. 2, who is preparing for the upcoming season, shared a special photo on social media featuring her with Santa Claus, along with a simple but sincere message: “Merry Christmas.”
For Świątek, the holidays are a time to rest but also to prepare intensively for the upcoming competition.
On December 30th, she will begin her competition in the United Cup team event in Sydney.
Iga Swiatek’s relentless ability to crush her opponents has given her an aura that sends a shiver of fear down the spine of her opponents, according to British star Jodie Burrage.
Swiatek has a stinning record of winning sets 6-0, with her record of winning a stunning 22 sets 6-0 in the 2023 and she backed that up with 14 more sets won without the concession of a single game this season.
While she finished the year as world No 2, Burrage has told Tennis365 that players are wary of being the next victim of a 6-0 ‘bagel’ set dished out by Swiatek.
Speaking to Tennis365 with her clothing partners Penguin, the player who reached a career-high ranking of No 84 earlier this year has opened up on her experiences playing against the best players in the women’s game.
Burrage recorded her only win against an opponent ranked in the top ten when she beat Paula Badosa on a grass court at Eastbourne in 2022 and she has also faced top-ranked players Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka.
Breaking into the top 100 of the WTA Rankings was a fine achievement for Burrage before she was struck down by injuries and she has opened up on her experiences playing the top players in the game.
“They are different gravy,” said Burrage with a smile as she discussed her experiences with the game’s top players. “It feels like I can’t actually compare myself to them yet.
“When I played against Sabalenka in the second round of the US Open last year, I really wasn’t happy with how I played, but it was still only 6-3 6-2.
“I had a few break point chances and other opportunities. I wasn’t happy about how I hit my forehand in that match and yet I still managed to win games and create chances.
“After playing them, you do realise they have holes in their game, but they are very good.
“Iga (Swiatek) scares me. The way she bagels people, it scares me!
“I watch a lot of tennis now and that is something that has changed for me in recent years. I think it helps when you see what those guys do and how they play.
“So when I played Sabalenka at the US Open, it helped that I had watched her play a lot and knew what she would do.”
Burrage is also a fan of the men’s game, but she suggests women’s tennis has more appeal for one big reason.
“I watch the men’s game, but I actually find the women’s game more exciting,” she added. “I feel like in men’s tennis, it can be a bit samey with the big hitters and the big serves. We get more rallies in the women’s game.
“When you have a match-up like Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz, that is a popcorn match and you want to see them producing their amazing shots, but I probably enjoy watching the women’s game a little bit more.”
Burrage has used her protected ranking to enter the Australian Open next month and if she can start 2025 on a high, he ambition to break back into the top 100 of the WTA Rankings could become a reality.
Iga Swiatek’s coach Wim Fissettte has fired back at Nick Kyrgios and other repeated critics amid the ongoing fallout from the world No 2’s doping violation.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek has now completed a one-month suspension after testing positive for TMZ ahead of the Cincinnati Open in August 2024.
The 23-year-old was found to be of “no significant fault” for the violation after successfully proving that her melatonin medication had been contaminated before use.
Reaction to Swiatek’s case has understandably been divided with former Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios among her outspoken critics.
Having also repeatedly criticised Jannik Sinner following news of his case emerging this summer, the Australian accused Sinner and Swiatek of trying to play the victim.
“Once you get caught, you can’t act like the victim,” said Kyrgios on the Nothing Major podcast.
“It’s nothing personal. What do I have that’s personal against Iga Swiatek? I have nothing personal against Iga. Everybody should be able to play on an equal footing.
“I repeat, once you get caught, you can’t act like the victim anymore. That’s what pisses me off even more. I’m like: ‘Wait a second… you’re using your team, right?’”
However, Swiatek has now been backed by coach Fissette, who previously worked with the likes of Kim Clijsters and Angelique Kerber.
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Speaking to Onet, he claimed that anyone who properly looked into the case would see that Swiatek was a victim of “bad luck”.
Fissette commented: “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.”
Having been provisionally suspended for 22 days before a successful appeal, Swiatek had just eight days of her ban left to serve once the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced their ruling.
That means that the world No 2 will be able to start the season as normal, with the Pole set to take a leading role for her nation at the United Cup, which starts on December 27th.
Swiatek won five WTA titles in 2024, including her fifth major at Roland Garros.
However, she failed to win a title following her triumph in Paris and lost the world No 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka towards the end of the season.
That was in part due to missing both the China Open and Wuhan Open, where it later emerged she was serving her provisional suspension.
Swiatek’s partnership with Fissette began in the aftermath of her suspension with the two having only worked together at the WTA Finals and Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
Just a few months after the doping case involving Jannik Sinner came to light, the tennis world was once again faced with a similar situation, this time in the women’s circuit. The different parties involved wasted no time in speaking out publicly to offer their perspectives, including Iga Swiatek herself. The ITIA itself shared the conclusion that the positive test resulted from a contaminated medication, but controversy was already guaranteed. With all WTA Tour matches played, the Polish player could also take a moment to see how this entire situation unfolded, triggering hundreds and thousands of opinions from both current and former players.
“It’s unfortunate for her. She provided a negative test in Paris at the Olympics, negative doping tests in New York (US Open), so this wasn’t an ongoing issue. It’s [expletive],” Andy expressed in his Podcast (Served with Andy Roddick) regarding the recent case of the current world number 2. “The dumbest people in our sport say: ‘Oh, doping!’ I’ve taken melatonin before, who can guarantee that ours isn’t contaminated?”
Roddick trusts the statements of expert scientists
“Are we going to cling to a billionth of a gram of something that hasn’t enhanced performance? What are we trying to solve with the ITIA and then with the WADA? What do we aim to solve? Performance enhancement. If we’re seeing, and all the scientists are telling us in independent hearings, those kinds of people are saying, ‘It didn’t enhance performance at all.’ So why do we care?” concluded the former American player, who decisively addresses the issue, clarifying what he believes were Swiatek’s intentions, as she couldn’t gain any advantage from consuming this amount of the substance for which she tested positive in an anti-doping test.
Andy Roddick has defended Iga Swiatek over her ban for failing a doping test as he criticised punishing players in cases where performance could not have been enhanced.
It was announced on Thursday that Swiatek had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in August, shortly before the Cincinnati Open.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in a statement that Swiatek had received a one-month suspension as it was deemed she carried “no significant fault or negligence.”
Swiatek was provisionally suspended from September 12 to October 4, which means the 23-year-old Polish star had already served 22 days of her ban on the day the news emerged.
Therefore, the five-time Grand Slam champion and world No 2 will be able to compete at her next two scheduled events: the United Cup and the Australian Open.
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Speaking on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Roddick weighed in on Swiatek’s doping case.
“I can’t call it doping. It’s like taking a melatonin for jet lag at 2:30 in the morning in Cincy and having… think about how many things had to go wrong for Iga Swiatek to get popped for melatonin and something that was contaminated,” the 2003 US Open winner said.
“It’s just unfortunate for her obviously. A negative test in Paris at the Olympics, negative tests in New York. So this isn’t some ongoing thing. It just sucks. It just sucks ’cause the headlines people will say, the dumbest people in our sports, ‘Ah, doping!’
“I’ve taken melatonin before. Who’s to say ours weren’t contaminated and are we going to continue to clutch pearls about one billionth of a gram of something or contaminated melatonin that didn’t have any performance enhancement.
“What are we trying to solve with the ITIA and then to WADA, what are we trying to solve for? Performance enhancement. We want to stop performance with drugs.
Iga Swiatek believes this doping controversy has put everything that she has worked so hard in her entire life “into question.” She tested positive for a banned substance (TMZ) in August this year. After that, she incurred a provisional suspension on September 12, which Swiatek successfully appealed on September 12. However, on October 4, the provisional suspension was lifted and her ineligibility will end today. Her level of fault was considered to be at the lowest end of the range for “no significant fault or negligence.” However, things could’ve ended much worse than this. Recently, a renowned tennis journalist was spotted highlighting all the worst-case scenario in this case.
According to Polish insider, Tomasz Wolfke, the punishment for Iga Swiatek was just “symbolic.” He said, “This penalty actually took away only two starts from her. Only or as much as, because she couldn’t defend her title, she lost some points, she lost a lot of money, she lost the leadership in the world ranking. But really, from the point of view of an average fan, this penalty is symbolic, let’s not kid ourselves. It may seem that it is tongue-in-cheek.”
Swiatek was fined the prize money of $158,944 which she earned for her SF run at the Cincinnati Masters in August! She even lost the top spot to Aryna Sabalenka due to her long absence on the Tour. Speaking on the punishment, Wolfke added, “However, it seems that she was not found innocent, but guilty, but the act had such a low harmfulness that she was given the lowest possible sentence because I remind you that you can get up to four years. This sentence is ‘strange.’ On the one hand, there had to be some, since she was found guilty, but on the other hand, she really could have suffered much more.” The tennis world has literally been divided into two halves on this controversial topic.
Iga Swiatek has been experiencing quite a lot of trouble in the last few days. After having been suspended for testing positive for a banned substance (Trimetazidine), she has been receiving a lot of hate from around the world. However, amid all this hatred, a few of them have already extended their support to the former world number one. One among them was American tennis legend, Andy Roddick. He said, “I can’t call it doping. Taking melatonin when you’re jetlagged at 2:30 in Cincinnati… It was just unfortunate for her.“
Roddick further questioned, “Are we going to continue to catch athletes for trace amounts of the substance or contaminated melatonin that had no effect on increasing performance?” Even Swiatek’s father and Olympia, Tomasz Swiatek, recently broke his silence and slammed the critics and experts for making false assumptions about her daughter on the doping saga.
During an interview with SportoweFakty, he said, “People write various things, but I decided from the beginning that I wouldn’t fight windmills. If I wanted to correct false assumptions, I wouldn’t do anything else, and I don’t have time for that. People evaluate things differently, but they have this in common: when things are going well, almost everyone praises, and when there’s one stumble or defeat, criticism begins immediately.” He further added, that he wanted her daughter to be treated like a person with emotions, and not like a machine that was insensitive to everything.
We saw former world number 9, Andrea Petkovic lauding Iga Swiatek for the way she handled the case. However, the most interesting comment came from the professor of pharmacology and director of the toxicology laboratory in Garches, Jean-Claude Alvarez. He claimed. “Iga Swiatek is not guilty of anything! She was only taking melatonin to fall asleep because she was suffering from jet lag. She was trying to sleep better to improve her results. I don’t understand why she was punished with a month’s suspension, we shouldn’t punish her at all. At least in people’s eyes, she would still be innocent.“ Share your thoughts on the claims of Alvarez. Do you agree with him?
The shockwaves from Iga Swiatek’s suspension from tennis will come to an end on December 4, but will the punishment be extended after she failed a drug test?
The five-time Grand Slam champion was ranked world No 1 when she provided a sample containing the angina medication trimetazidine in an out-of-competition test on August 12.
In a case that echoes of world No 1 Jannik Sinner’s failed drug test from last March, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted Swiatek’s positive test was a result of contamination of the regulated non-prescription medication melatonin, which Swiatek took for jet lag and sleep issues.
They declared Swiatek’s level of fault was to be at the lowest end of the range for ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’.
That resulted in a one-month ban for Swiatek, with that decision sparking a huge debate among players who were treated very differently after they also failed drug tests.
Swiatek was provisionally suspended from September 22 until October 4, with the three tournaments the 23-year-old missed attributed to personal matters and a change of coach.
The Pole must serve an additional eight days to December 4 to make up the month, while she also forfeits her prize money from reaching the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open, the tournament directly following the test.
She gave her verdict in a lengthy video on her social media platforms with an emotional statement.
“I’m finally allowed… so I instantly want to share with you something that became the worst experience of my life,” said Swiatek.
“In the last and a half months I was subject to strict ITIA proceedings, which confirmed my innocence.
“The only positive doping test in my career, showing an unbelievably low level of a banned substance I’ve never heard about before, put everything I’ve worked so hard for my entire life into question.
“Both me and my team had to deal with tremendous stress and anxiety. Now everything has been carefully explained, and with a clean slate I can go back to what I love most. I know I will be stronger than ever.
“I’m leaving with you a long video and right now I’m just relieved it’s over. I want to be open with you, even though I know I did nothing wrong.
Nick Kyrgios is among those who have expressed their surprise over the verdict on Swiatek, with all eyes not on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as they consider their next move.
WADA challenged the ITIA decision on Sinner and have taken their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing Sinner should be given a suspension from tennis of between one and two years after he tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance clostebol in March.
Given their stance in the Sinner case, WADA may now be expected to consider a similar appeal against Swiatek’s suspension that could extend her agony over this failed drug test well into 2025.
Yet both Sinner and Swiatek will be encouraged by the comments from Oliver Niggli, director of WADA, during an interview with L’Equipe, as he hinted the players may be victims of improved technology after minuscule amounts of the banned substances were found in their systems.
“Today there is a problem of contamination,” said Niggli. “There are no more (doping cheats) than before, but laboratories are more efficient in detecting infinitesimal quantities of doping substances. We will have to open a working table to understand how to manage this situation.
“The quantities found are so small that it is possible to become contaminated by doing even trivial things.
“I understand the public, who thinks we are naive and that we believe everything. But the reality is different. There is a problem.
“If we wanted to simplify our lives, we could impose new thresholds and not find all these cases. But the real question is: Are we ready to accept microdosing? Where do we stop?
“With thresholds, we wouldn’t have seen all these cases. What we need to understand is whether we are ready to accept microdosing and where it is right to stop. A working table will be created precisely for this type of reflection.”
There can be no denying that tennis has a huge credibility issue with two of its biggest stars now under a huge cloud of suspicion after failed drug tests, with the perception that the sport’s decision makers are showing extreme leniency in their punishments adding to the credibility issue that is now dominating the tennis agenda.
Tennis players both past and present want to attend the Davis Cup finals to see Rafael Nadal’s last match.
The 22-time Grand Slam is set to bring an end to a remarkable career spanning over two decades.
Nadal has chosen to play his last tournament on home soil and be surrounded by his competitors at a tournament he has won five times in the past.
It is now the hottest tennis ticket in town and thousands want to pay tribute to one of the all-time greats, but will French Open winner Iga Swiatek, one of his biggest fans, be in attendance?
It is well documented how influential Rafael Nadal has been on Swiatek and her career.
She has praised him on numerous occasions and like many is saddened to hear that the 38-year-old will be retiring soon.
The likes of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have expressed their desire to be in Malaga to pay tribute to Nadal when he retires, but Swiatek will not be attending.
“I have my vacation scheduled. It’s hard to pick that. It will be impossible to get there anyway as I heard it’s all booked already and the ticket sales are crazy,” the Pole said during her WTA Finals press conference.
“Maybe I will watch it on TV, but I already had a chance to text with Rafa a bit and thank him for everything he’s done. I will be following him anyway, no matter if he’s still playing or not.”
Tributes poured in for Nadal after he released a video on social media announcing his retirement.
Swiatek shared a video message online, thanking Nadal for his contributions to tennis and inspiring her.
“You were and still are the biggest inspiration that I ever had in tennis and the reason why sometimes I got extra motivated and kept pushing myself,” she said.
“Thank you for that and thank you for being such an amazing person off the court as well. Your humility is something that is not so often [seen] when you see other athletes succeeding.
“You’re the one that always stayed honest with himself and true to himself. Thank you for being a really good person.”
The intense and overflowing schedules of the ATP and WTA tours have ignited a fiery debate among players and fans alike. Rising stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek have already voiced their concerns about the grueling demands of the tour, and now they have gained an unexpected ally in former tennis player CoCo Vandeweghe. Vandeweghe’s candid critique of the harsh scheduling adds weight to the conversation, raising crucial questions about player well-being.
Over time, the role of WTA’s “mandatory” events has changed dramatically. WTA players are obligated to compete in 21 tournaments annually under the current rules. This consists of ten WTA 1000-level competitions in addition to four major Grand Slam tournaments. Top players must participate in six WTA 500-level tournaments in addition to these 14 well-known events.
During the October 27 live podcast episode of the Tennis Channel, CoCo Vandeweghe discussed the critical problems related to the demanding schedules of the WTA and ATP tours. Vandeweghe offered insightful information about the psychological and physical toll that such rigorous schedules may have on athletes because of her personal experience as a professional athlete.
She stated, “I think, yes, I think it’s becoming too redundant at this point in the schedule where it just, it just keeps happening over and over again. And most of the top players are saying, we’re gonna wait for the finals or we have Billie Jean King cup and they’re, they’re highlighting those important tournaments. So what are the important tournaments out there?”
Previously, prominent tennis players like Iga Swiatek have expressed their frustrations with scheduling issues, which have been a recurring issue in the sport. Swiatek expressed her unease about the overwhelming number of tournaments throughout the season, stating, “I think we have too many tournaments in the season. It’s not going to end well. It makes tennis less fun for us. Obviously, I love playing in all these places, but it’s pretty exhausting.”
CoCo Vandeweghe previously also addressed the WTA’s mandatory events and the new rules implemented by the organization during the TC Live Podcast. “I think it’s ridiculous that the WTA is asking all these players to play these many events. I went through this personally,” she remarked.
Not only that, even Carlos Alcaraz has raised a similar concern, highlighting how the hectic schedule can create a problem for the players.
While the majority of the biggest events have already taken place, the final third of the season is shaping up to be a hectic one for players. Carlos Alcaraz, speaking at the Laver Cup press conference, expressed his feelings about the rushed schedule, noting that the intense back-to-back tournaments can be physically and mentally taxing.
He stated, “I’m the kind of player who thinks there are a lot of tournaments during the year, mandatory tournament, and probably during the next few years gonna be even more tournaments, more mandatory tournaments. So, I mean, probably they are going to kill us in some way (smiling).”
With support from fellow players like Iga Swiatek and insights from former pros like CoCo Vandeweghe, the dialogue surrounding the ATP and WTA’s scheduling practices is more crucial than ever. Moreover, the growing chorus of voices advocating for change highlights the need for a more balanced and sustainable approach for the players.