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Iga Swiatek Not Worried About Possible WADA Appeal

Iga Swiatek does not expect the WADA to appeal the decision of her doping case.
Pat Benson|
Iga Swiatek discussed the possibility of her doping case taking on new life with a court appeal.
Iga Swiatek discussed the possibility of her doping case taking on new life with a court appeal. | IMAGO / AAP

Iga Swiatek is officially kicking off her 2025 season this week at the United Cup. The WTA World No.2 is coming off a roller-coaster year that included a doping ban, a coaching change, and a PR team shakeup (plus a Grand Slam title).

On November 28, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) officially issued the one-month ban after ruling that the player's level of fault was at the lowest end of the range for "No Significant Fault or Negligence" and not intentional.

Swiatek has already served her 30-day suspension and will be ready for the first Grand Slam of the new season, the Australian Open, which starts on January 12, 2025.

However, ATP World No.1 Jannik Sinner thought his doping scandal was over before the WADA decided to appeal the ITIA's decision. His case will take place no earlier than mid-February.

So when speaking with the press at the United Cup, Swiatek was asked if she was nervous about a WADA appeal similar to Sinner.

"Well, I don't think there is any reason because I didn't play three tournaments. I was suspended for a long time, and I lost No. 1, you know, because of that," said Swiatek.

She continued, "I also know how the procedure worked, and I gave every possible evidence and there is not much, honestly, to do more. So I don't know, there is no point to do an appeal in our opinion, you know."

Swiatek added, "But I guess overall, like, this whole process was pretty abstract sometimes and hard to understand from a point of view where you don't think about the law and everything. But honestly, like, this is about the law and the wording and this kind of stuff.

Swiatek then gave her vision of the future, "So I'm not expecting an appeal, but I have kind of no influence on what's going to happen. But I can say from the processes that I went through and how they treated me from the beginning that it seemed fair for me. I managed to give the source pretty quickly. That's why the case closed, you know, pretty quickly."

Swiatek concluded, "But still, I didn't play tournaments, and I got a fine, small one, symbolic one, but it's over now. So l guess, in my opinion, it was a fair process, and I trust ITIA that any case they do, they're going to treat every player the same way and fairly."

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers professional tennis for Serve on Sports Illustrated, reporting on ATP and WTA events worldwide. From Challenger tournaments to Grand Slams, he brings readers in-depth coverage, daily recaps, and exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport. With a decade of experience in sports journalism, Pat is recognized as a trusted voice in tennis media. You can contact him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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