Iga Swiatek in ‘Real Crisis’ as Top Tennis Journalist Convinced Doping Scandal Badly Impacted Her
Iga Swiatek, who recently lost in the Italian Open third round, hasn't yet reached a final since winning the 2024 French Open.
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Iga Swiatek (Image via X/Game, Set & Talk)
According to tennis journalist Jon Wertheim, the doping scandal is the main reason behind Iga Swiatek‘s recent slump in form. Swiatek was in red-hot form last year, lifting five titles, including three consecutive ones on the clay swing.
But toward the end of the season, she failed to reach a final and her winless run continues this season as well. The 23-year-old last lifted a trophy at the 2024 Roland Garros by breezing past Jasmine Paolini and later clinched the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
Then in August ahead of the Cincinnati Open, she tested positive for trimetazidine, the banned substance that contaminated a melatonin medication she was consuming at that time. In Cincinnati, she lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, then to eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula in the US Open quarterfinals. At the WTA Finals, she failed to move into the semifinals.
I think there is a real crisis here. I think some of this is the match results. Some of this is that she does not protect joy. We have seen social media posts, interviews, you see the stress welded to her face when she plays.
Jon Wertheim told the Tennis Channel Live Podcast
This season, the Pole ace made it to every quarterfinal of the first seven singles events. But in the ongoing Italian Open, Danielle Collins ended her run in the third round.
Some of this is that the results have not been there, but some of this is the way she is projecting. My theory, hot take, is that this doping incident really impacted her.
Jon Wertheim added
Swiatek was expected to end her trophy drought on the clay swing. But the results were: quarterfinal defeat to Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart, defeat to Coco Gauff in the Madrid Open semifinal, and her Rome Open exit. In Madrid and Rome, she entered the tournaments as the defending champion.
Will Iga Swiatek hire Andy Murray as her coach?
Now this will seem surprising, but as per rumors, Iga Swiatek approached Andy Murray to coach her before he was hired by his former rival Novak Djokovic. Last year, Andy Roddick, on his Served podcast, revealed that “high-high-high ranked men and women” had asked the three-time Major champion to join their team.
Swiatek, while serving her provisional suspension, parted ways with her longtime coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and hired Wim Fissette, who ended his partnership with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in September that year. Murray, on the other hand, joined the Serb’s team about four months after retiring at the Paris Olympics.
Under the Scot, the 24-time Grand Slam reached the semifinals of the Australian Open (retired mid-match) and the final of the Miami Open (lost to Jakub Mensik). They were expected to work together at least till Wimbledon, where Nole lost the final to Carlos Alcaraz last year. But on May 13, Djokovic announced on his social media that they have decided to end the partnership after working together for six months.
Djokovic is searching for his first title since winning the Paris Olympics last year. In Grand Slam tournaments, he last won a trophy at the 2023 US Open.
What’s next for Iga Swiatek?
The next target is the French Open, but it will be interesting to see if Swiatek signs up for another clay-court tournament before the second clay-court Major. Two WTA events will be held before Roland Garros.
After the conclusion of the French Open, May 19 will mark the start of two WTA events of different categories: WTA 500 Internationaux de Strasbourg and the WTA 250 Morocco Open. The French Open is scheduled to start on May 25.
Also read: Emma Raducanu Makes ‘Hide in Hole’ Comment After Being ‘Outplayed’ by Coco Gauff in Rome
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