Iga Swiatek has had a challenging year. While she achieved remarkable success on the clay courts, a doping controversy also marred her career. Despite facing intense public scrutiny and criticism, she has received some positive news recently. However, the full resolution of the doping case is still pending.

The Polish Anti-Doping Agency (POLADA) announced its decision not to appeal with the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS). POLADA originally had until December 19th to file an appeal on a doping case. However, requesting the full case file triggered an extension to December 31st as reported by Sport.pl. This development now gives the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) the right to appeal. WADA’s deadline to appeal starts on January 1 and lasts for 21 days.

“After a comprehensive examination and verification of the full legal file of the athlete Iga Swiatek, [POLADA] has decided not to appeal the decision made by International Tennis Integrity Agency in the case of the tennis athlete,” a spokesperson for POLADA said. “Conducting an in-depth and thorough analysis by Polish Anti-Doping Agency’s experts made it possible to make an objective decision that complied with anti-doping regulations.”

Iga Swiatek, the 23-year-old Polish tennis star, tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ). The heart medication was found in an out-of-competition sample collected in August while she was the world No. 1. The ITIA determined the violation was not intentional but imposed a one-month suspension-22 days of that ban from September to October and the remainder between November and December.

This sanction caused Swiatek to miss three Asian tournaments and lose her top ranking to her closest rival, Aryna Sabalenka. The case came to light in late November. She stepped on court on December 30th at the United Cup, her first tournament since the doping controversy.

Iga Swiatek kicked off her United Cup campaign with a dominant performance, defeating Norwegian world No. 404 Malene Helgo 6-1, 6-0. Ahead of the event, she addressed the situation and expressed confidence in the process.

Swiatek acknowledged that the incident had been ‘mentally tough,’ but expressed gratitude for the overwhelmingly positive public response, which alleviated her concerns about potential ostracism.

Iga Swiatek thanks fans for their support amidst the backlash

In an interview with a Polish media outlet, the former World No. 1 expressed gratitude for the support she has received. “After revealing the information about my case, I was afraid that most people would turn away from me, but I felt support and it’s great. (…) I really appreciate it, because when I left the China Open and no one knew why, it wasn’t so easy,” she shared.

Adding to the voices of support, former tennis legend Andy Roddick spoke out in Swiatek’s defense. Roddick dismissed the idea of calling her case doping, offering a clear and emphatic statement. “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. It’s just unfortunate for her [Świątek] obviously,” Roddick said.

But, the fundamental question now remains, will WADA appeal her doping case? Sinner’s case serves as a strong precedent.

WADA has lodged an appeal to men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s doping case. This could result in a ban of up to two years for the Italian player if the appeal is upheld. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear the appeal, but not before the end of the Australian Open, which begins on January 12th in Melbourne. Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are the defending singles champions of the tournament, while Iga Swiatek exited in the third round last year.

With such strong backing from fans and tennis icons like Roddick, Swiatek continues to face the controversy with resilience. Her openness about her struggles has further endeared her to supporters, who remain by her side as she moves forward.