Aryna Sabalenka is not the one to criticize Iga Swiatek as the world No. 1 gave a politically correct answer and suggested that the ones who had to give their verdict have already made their position clear.
in late November, the ITIA announced that the five-time Grand Slam champion accepted a one-month ban after testing positive for trimetazidine (TMZ). However, they underlined that the investigation determined that the Pole’s explanation was valid and that her positive doping test was caused by the contamination of melatonin.
As in Jannik Sinner’s case, it led to the double standard claims. When it specifically comes to pro players, the most vocal about Swiatek’s doping case have been Nick Kyrgios and Simona Halep.
“People are really used to overreacting before figuring stuff out, so I don’t want to leave any comments. I believe in clean sport and nothing else I can add,” Sabalenka told The National when asked to share her thoughts on the Pole’s doping situation.
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek© YouTube screenshot
Sabalenka on keeping the world No. 1 position away from Swiatek
Since overthrowing the 23-year-old from the top position in September, the reigning Australian Open and US Open champion has been sitting at the No. 1 spot. And heading into the new season, there is a 1,121-point gap between the two.
But retaining the world No. 1 spot will be easier said than done considering that the Belarusian will have 2,000 points to defend in Melbourne while Swiatek lost in the Australian Open third round last season and won’t have much to defend.
“You cannot be confident on that. It’s a mental thing. Of course I’d like to stay there as long as possible and I’m working really hard for that, so let’s see how next season is going to be,” Sabalenka explained when asked about her chances of staying the top-ranked player in the game.
This weekend, both the three-time Grand Slam champion and Swiatek are competing at the World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi.
Tennis World USA