Every new season presents a glorious opportunity for the players to hit the reset button and make a fresh start. The case with Iga Swiatek is no different. The former World Number 1 had a forgettable ending to the season that was marred by a doping controversy. Swiatek tested positive for a banned substance and faced a 1-month ban as the concentration level was extremely low. Despite completing her ban and being cleared of the doping charges, the controversy is still fresh in the mind of Swiatek. As a result, she made a surprising 6-word revelation.

Swiatek is gearing up to start her season at the United Cup, which will act as a warm-up event for the Australian Open. Ahead of the start of the tournament, she was involved in an interview during which she pointed to her doping ban when asked about how her off-season was.

Swiatek revealed, “I did not do so well at home, so very different conditions than what we have in Sydney and Melbourne. So, I’m going to spend the next few days practicing hard and getting used to the conditions but overall pretty great even though it was short because my season ended longer than usual. I spend every minute on the court with 100% commitment, so that’s the most important thing.”

Owing to her doping ban, Swiatek missed several tournaments after the US Open. She did not feature in the entire Asian swing and returned to play at the WTA Finals, where she lost in the group stage. Thus, Swiatek didn’t have the best of finishes to the season. Subsequently, Swiatek returned to her native country to spend time with her family and begin her preparations for the next season.

Meanwhile, Swiatek wasn’t the only high-profile player to test positive for a banned substance this year. Even Jannik Sinner found himself engulfed in the controversy and the duo faced massive criticism from some bigwigs in the tennis community.

Renowned analyst calls out Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner

While Swiatek faced a 1-month ban, Sinner hasn’t faced any action yet, as his explanation was deemed satisfactory about how he came in contact with the banned substance. This didn’t go down well with Jason Goodall, a tennis analyst who believed there may have been partiality in their case, as the two were high-profile players. As a result, he slammed the tennis bodies on this matter.

Goodall said, “We’ve had a couple of high-profile doping cases this season with Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek, and the one thing that I didn’t like was the lack of transparency in those two cases. We only learned about Sinner’s case before the start of the U.S. Open, though it occurred earlier in the season, in the spring. With Iga’s case, we were told she was taking some time to work with her coach on different aspects of her game. That wasn’t the case. That was just a blatant lie.”

We have seen the likes of Simona Halep face a massive ban for failed doping tests. As a result, many feel that there might be partiality in Sinner and Swiatek’s case, as the two didn’t face any serious consequences despite failed doping tests. Do you feel that Swiatek and Sinner should’ve received stricter punishments for failing doping tests? Let us know your views in the comments below.