“Nothing will change” Former World No. 1 critiques Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek doping ruling
Karolina Pliskova argued that players who aren't ranked as high as Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek get 'harsher' punishment for doping.
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Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner, (in circle) Karolina Muchova (via News18/WTA)
The tennis world has witnessed unprecedented criticism following Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek‘s doping case. Both players didn’t receive any huge punishment despite testing positive for banned substances. Former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova has criticized the inconsistent verdicts handed to top players in such situations.
Sinner failed a drug test and twice tested positive for clostebol in March. But the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) kept it secret as the Italian defended himself, insisting that his former physio Giacomo Naldi was the cause of the substance entering his system. In August, the ITIA announced that he had no fault or negligence on his part.
While the dust from Sinner’s case has not yet settled, the ITIA revealed that Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine before the Cincinnati Open. The Polish star was then handed a one-month suspension after she defended that the banned substance contaminated her melatonin medication. But these cases have seen widespread criticism about the partiality of the ITIA ruling.
The likes of Simona Halep and Tara Moore, who have received brutal bans, also spoke against the tennis body’s partiality treatment. Recently, Pliskova voiced her disapproval of how the ITIA handled both and found it odd that verdicts in such cases seem inconsistent.
I think we’ve seen two different approaches here. Players who aren’t exactly No. 1 or No. 2 in the world tend to receive harsher punishments than the top players. That shouldn’t be the case. We can talk about it here, but nothing will change.
Karolina Pliskova said via livesport.cz
Pliskova, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, has been able to balance her tennis career with coaching duties at her academy. She has been working with teenage sensation Brenda Fruhvirtova, guiding the 17-year-old to become one of the best talents in the Tour.
Karolina Pliskova sets comeback date after skipping the Australian Open due to injury
Karolina Pliskova has not played a competitive tournament since the US Open in August. The Czech Republic star was forced to retire due to injury after a few points against Jasmine Paolini in the second round. Recently, she announced that she’s not going to feature at the 2025 Australian Open as she’s still recovering from her left ankle injury.
The 32-year-old revealed during the aforementioned conversation that she’s not in haste to get back to the court. Rather, she’s looking forward to a comeback at the Indian Wells Masters in March 2025.
I can’t run yet and we’re quite far from tennis. I don’t want to rush anything. I already made a mistake with my hand – I played in pain for a month and a half, and I still didn’t win anything. It doesn’t make sense. So I’ll take the protected ranking and come back in March for Indian Wells and Miami, maybe. Of course, if another snag doesn’t appear.
Karolina Pliskova said
Pliskova struggled to find consistency in her performance in the 2024 season, finishing the year with a 20-16 win-loss record. However, she did reach the final of the Nottingham Open.
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Victor Okechukwu
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