By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday January 10, 2025

Integrity matters to Iga Swiatek. So much so that she was in a really dark place during the time that her provisional suspension was handed down to her for having a small trace of the banned substance trimetazidine in her system.



Swiatek says that it was the worst moment of her life, and she was extremely worried about how the locker room would treat her. She says it has always been important for her to be a good example amongst her peers, and she felt that they might react harshly to her.

“This was the worst thing for me, like what people would say,” Swiatek told reporters on media day at the Australian Open on Friday. “Because I always worked hard to be a good example, to show my integrity, show good behavior.”

Swiatek, who ultimately received a one-month ban for having the substance in her system due to contaminated melatonin from Poland, says the whole episode “freaked her out.”

“Having no control over this case really freaked me out a bit,” she said, before adding that interacting with fellow players in the locker room helped her calm her nerves. “In the locker room, the girls are great. I already saw at this exhibition in Abu Dhabi that they are really supportive.”

The Pole’s suspension was officially lifted in December.



Swiatek says that many fellow players wanted to ask her how they can protect themselves from testin positive when innocent.

“Most of them even approached me,” she said. “They're like, ‘Hey, how can we avoid this? Is there any way that we can be more careful?’ They are worried this can happen to them, as well. So in the locker room, it's been great. There are many top players – I'm not going to say names – that are really supportive. I really appreciate that, because it made me feel better when I came back and I didn't know how it was going to be.”

Swiatek, seeded second in Melbourne, will face Katerina Siniakova in her first-round match. In her first Grand Slam with coach Wim Fissette by her side, she is bidding to get to a final in Australia for the first time. Her best result to date is reaching the semifinal in 2022.