Iga Swiatek acknowledges that strict doping protocols can be stressful for players but feels she has “been through the worst” after overcoming a positive test for contaminated melatonin.
The incident has sparked paranoia among tennis players, following Swiatek’s and Jannik Sinner’s failed drug tests, despite both athletes not intentionally doping.
Swiatek served a one-month suspension at the end of last year after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) determined that the over-the-counter melatonin she used as a sleep aid was contaminated with the banned substance trimetazidine.
Sinner is currently serving a three-month ban after testing positive twice for the banned substance clostebol, which entered his system through his physiotherapist, who was treating a cut on his hand with an over-the-counter spray containing the substance.
“Honestly, after a couple of years, you think about this all the time,” Swiatek said Wednesday when asked about the extra precautions players must take to adhere to anti-doping rules. “It gives a little anxiety, and I’m not only talking about me because I kind of got used to the system, and I’ve been through the worst. I was able to come back from that, and I was able to solve it, so I feel like nothing can stop me.”
While Swiatek has managed to come out the other side, she is aware of the panic that has resulted from her and Sinner’s cases.
“I know from other players that it’s not easy, and the whole system is just tough because I didn’t have much control over what happened to me, and I can imagine some players are always scared that it can happen to them,” added the world No. 2.
The whereabouts system used by anti-doping authorities requires athletes to specify one hour of every day where they will be at a specific location and available for testing.
“With always giving your location and everything, sometimes, system-wise, it’s just hard to catch up,” Swiatek explained. “Because, like every day when we’re traveling, we need to literally say where we are. If we forget, we might get a ‘no show,’ and then three ‘no shows’ equals a ban.
“So, yeah, there’s a lot of pressure with that, and it’s not easy to manage, but it is what it is.”
Tunisian Ons Jabeur echoed Swiatek’s sentiments and said she is “traumatized” by the sound of her doorbell, which frequently rings at 5 a.m. for drug testing.
“I know we need to keep a clean sport, and that’s very important. But yeah, definitely, I’m just very worried,” said the three-time major finalist.