Rules are always debated, be it sports or any other activity. A similar situation occurred today after news about Iga Swiatek facing a doping ban came to light. The Polish star had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, which is a heart medication. However, the levels found in her sample were extremely low and she escaped with just a month’s ban. However, this hasn’t gone down well with fans, who called out the ITIA over partiality for top players.

Ahead of the US Open, Jannik Sinner was embroiled in a similar doping controversy. He tested positive in a couple of tests from Indian Wells for a banned substance ‘Clostebol’. However, the ITIA deemed Sinner’s explanation as valid about how he came in contact with the substance. It was through a spray applied by his physio. As a result, the Italian star escaped any punishment from the ITIA.

With Swiatek’s situation quite comparable to that of Sinner, fans feel that the ITIA is getting biased toward the top players. As a result, fans vented their frustration at the tennis body after Swiatek escaped with just a 1-month ban.

Angry fans call out ITIA after Iga Swiatek escapes lengthy ban

Many fans questioned about the short period of suspension that Swiatek received even after testing positive. They felt that if it was any other player, much stricter action would have been taken. As a result, one of the fans called out the tennis body with a sarcastic remark, saying, “Rules are rules unless you’re number one in the world.”

Similarly, another Twitter user condemned the positive doping test of Swiatek. At a time when tennis is struggling for attention and decreasing viewership numbers, the news about Swiatek’s doping ban casts a dark shadow on the sport. Thus, one fan made a brutally honest confession and tweeted, “A really bad look for both Iga and the sport.”

Earlier, Swiatek cited personal reasons behind her absence from the Asian Swing. However, it was known today that she was serving her doping ban and as a result, couldn’t participate in those tournaments. Moreover, the ITIA was also silent during that period and it was known only today that the Polish star was serving the ban. Expressing frustration in this regard, a fan said, “Well, now we know why Świątek wasn’t competing in Beijing and Wuhan. Both Sinner and Iga being involved in something like this in one season further showcases the transparency issues with the entire process. And as usual, please read the whole decision before passing judgement.”

Meanwhile, in the ruling, the ITIA revealed that Swiatek’s level of fault was “at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence.” This raised many eyebrows and a fan questioned how the ITIA ordered just a month’s ban for Swiatek. The comment read, “The player’s level of fault was considered to be at the lowest end of the range for ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’. And by the way, we’re informing you of all this post-facto, naturally!”

Lastly, Swiatek also faced heat after not providing a valid reason for her absence from the Asian Swing. While she cited ‘personal reason’ earlier, her doping ban meant that she couldn’t play there. Earlier today, the Polish star revealed that she accepted the ban after news broke out about her doping controversy. Thus, one of the fans slammed her for being tight-lipped in this matter, saying, “‘Has accepted’ this is what top players do for accountability. But I guess some are not used to this.”

At a time when tennis viewership keeps on declining, matters such as these will only do more harm to the sport. Additionally, the biases of the tennis bodies toward top players should be eliminated, and all the players should be treated equally.