Iga Swiatek 'Satisfied' With WADA Case Closure, Reflects On Sabalenka Rivalry At Australian Open - UBITENNIS

Iga Swiatek ‘Satisfied’ With WADA Case Closure, Reflects On Sabalenka Rivalry At Australian Open

Iga Swiatek is relieved to have closure on her doping case after WADA decided not to appeal.

By Tony Fairbairn
5 Min Read
(@TennisChannel - Twitter)

Iga Swiatek is ‘satisfied’ with the closure received after WADA decided not to appeal the ban the Pole received.

It was late last year that Swiatek received a one month ban for testing positive for a banned substance as a result of medication that she took to combat jet lag.

A minimal dosage was taken and Swiatek was only banned for a month as it was proven that she wasn’t negligible for the incident.

All Swiatek was waiting for was whether WADA was going to appeal the ban imposed by the ITIA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport just like they did for Jannik Sinner.

However today WADA have announced they will not be appealing the ban and that is something Swiatek is ‘satisfied’ with, “Well, for sure I’m just satisfied that I can get a closure, kind of, and I can just move on and, like, finish this whole process, because, you know, I just want to play tennis and focus on the tournament,” Swiatek said in her press conference.

“No, I haven’t noticed any difference. I think anybody who, like, read the documents and know details about the case, they understand. In the locker room, has been also pretty nice. You know, the girls are understanding. I mean, I kind of answered all of this at the beginning of the tournament. 

“So yeah, now for sure, I just want to put this behind me because I have already been on tour for quite a few weeks, and it’s all been good. I don’t expect any changes. For sure, I’m happy that people understand.”

Swiatek will be relieved that her reputation hasn’t done too much damage and she can now move on with her tennis career.

Speaking of which Swiatek is into the quarter-finals at the Australian Open after a dominant 6-0 6-1 win over lucky loser Eva Lys.

The Pole is now red-hot favourite to contest Aryna Sabalenka for the title in Melbourne in Saturday’s final.

Speaking about Sabalenka, Swiatek reflected on their rivalry and the strengths the defending champion brings to the court, “Well, honestly I think we’re the most consistent players on tour, and this is also what the rivalry is about,” Swiatek said about the rivalry.

“But when we face each other, you know, sometimes, as it was in Cincinnati, it goes to Aryna. Sometimes, like in Rome, it goes to me. It’s not always that we have tight matches, but we do, like Madrid final, like US Open semis. So I guess, you know, we’re just both good and feel like we are covering every aspect of the game in terms of the preparation.

“We’re just really professional and also pushing each other to work harder. So yeah, I mean, how does it feel? Like, you have to just be there, like, on point and 100% ready, because playing top player is always hard, so yeah.

“I don’t know. I feel like she has a complete kind of technique, like pretty smooth. She’s just solid from every position on the court, even like volleys and stuff that we don’t use, like, that often on singles. Yeah, I mean, she has variety, and she can play flat, she can play topspin. Like, basically I would say that Aryna is like kind of complete player.”

Before Swiatek can concentrate on Sabalenka, the Pole will face Emma Navarro for a place in the semi-finals.

The world number one admitted she is happy to reach the last eight after failing to do so last year, “And also, not only about the result itself, also how I feel, you know, because it was always a struggle here,” Swiatek stated.

“So this year it’s much more smooth, and I feel like, you know, the work that I’m putting on the court is actually working on matches, as well. Hopefully it’s gonna stay like that. So just the whole process is much better, I’d say, this year.”

Swiatek will take on Navarro on Wednesday for a place in the last four.

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