World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka shares her take on Iga Swiatek doping controversy

Year 2024 was a roller coaster ride for the Polish tennis standout Iga Swiatek as she clinched her fourth French Open and the fifth Grand Slam title. However, soon after, dark clouds surrounded the 23-year-old Pole when the reports emerged that she had tested positive for a banned substance. Later the reports confirmed when she was handed a one-month ban for testing positive for trimetazidine, a prohibited heart medicine that was detected in mild amounts in her urine sample.

Following the doping incident, Swiatek faced questioning regarding the legitimacy and honesty of her tennis career. However, she responded to her critics with a remarkable performance on the court, emerging even stronger. In a recent development, Aryna Sabalenka, the Belarusian player who dethroned Swiatek to become the new World No. 1, shared her thoughts on the controversy, offering a perspective that fans won’t want to miss.

Sabalenka’s thoughts on Swiatek’s doping controversy

Even though Swiatek was cleared by International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) as the organization stated that she tested positive for the substance as a result of a contaminated medication she took and henceforth was “not at significant fault.” Adding to that “not at significant fault” Sabalenka extended her support to the World No. 2 and stated that is Swiatek was cleared by the ITIA that means she is innocent and should be treated so.

“Whatever happened to her, I believe in a clean sport. People always overreact when they see something without trying to figure what actually happened and understand the player. They’re always going to find things to judge someone successful. So, I prefer to believe that there is a clean sport and she’s innocent. If they prove that, it means that she is innocent, ” Sabalenka said in her statement given to The Age.

While discussing her reaction to the news of Iga Swiatek’s doping test failure, Aryna Sabalenka revealed that she chose to distance herself from the controversy and concentrate on her own game. She also highlighted the immense effort she put into becoming World No. 1, continuing to work diligently to improve as a player.