Dinara Safina thinks Iga Swiatek is very good at “disguising” her emotions but the former world No. 1 is not ruling the possibility of the Pole “crumbling” following the doping news.
After the five-time Grand Slam champion didn’t play at all during the Asian swing due to “personal reasons,” it was revealed last Thursday that it happened because she was serving a provisional suspension after failing a doping test. According to the ITIA, the world No. 2 tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) but only for small traces and was able to prove that it was unintentional and that it came through a contaminated melatonin medication.
In the end, Swiatek escaped with just a one-month suspension and will be able to start the 2025 season in time. However, in a video message she uploaded after the ITIA announcement, the 23-year-old described it as “the toughest battle of her life” and admitted she was under enormous stress and anxiety throughout the process. And she looked like someone who was in distress for an extended period of time and was just relieved for it to be over.
Iga Swiatek© Iga Swiatek/Instagram – Fair Use
Safina, who was one of the best players in the game 15 years ago before an unfortunate back injury forced her to play her last match at 25, thinks Swiatek may not be the same player anymore.
“It will be interesting to watch Iga. For some reason, it seems to me that she disguises [her emotions] very beautifully. She is a ‘robot,’ she comes out on the court as if she has no emotions. But I have a feeling that something could go wrong and she could fall apart. From the outside, it seems that everything is too artificial, too professional,” the former three-time Grand Slam finalist said on Bolshe! Live, via Championat.
Swiatek admitted the uncertainty was the worst
After being provisionally banned, the Polish tennis star had to prove that she wasn’t to blame for what happened and explain what caused one of her samples to return as positive for a prohibited substance. While the public didn’t know anything, the four-time French Open champion was fearing she would be removed from the game for a longer period.
“There were many tears and lots of sleepless nights. The worst part of it was uncertainty. I didn’t know what was going to happen with my career, how things would end or if I would be allowed to play tennis at all,” Swiatek said in a video message when addressing the doping situation.
In that same message, the 23-year-old didn’t hide that she was concerned that some may start to look at her differently.
“I have a sense this situation could undermine the image I’ve been building for years. Which is why I hope you will understand what happened, understand how I had no control over it, and could do nothing to prevent this unfortunate turn of events. I hope you will stand by me and will keep supporting me, because I’m not sure if, without my supporters, I would have been able to find the strength to carry on and keep fighting. So now, I have fought the toughest battle of my life, and I hope you will stay with me and keep supporting me,” Swiatek said.
Iga Swiatek© Polski Zwiazek Tenisowy/Instagram – Fair Use
Safina praised Swiatek last week
The ex-Russian tennis star may have some doubts about the Pole’s future but just last week she praised the world No. 2 for the consistency she has shown over the last few years.
“In my time, there were more consistent players. There were Serena and Venus Williams, Davenport, Mauresmo, Henin, Sharapova, Clijsters and so on. Everyone was consistent all year round, they rarely had easy losses. The top 10 was very tight, you couldn’t touch the girls. And now someone can fail three or four tournaments and then return to the top 10. Now there is Gauff, Pegula, but they are all unstable. Only Sabalenka and Swiatek played the whole season almost without slumps,” Safina explained to Championat last week.
A bit interestingly, the 2008 and 2009 French Open finalist also made one bold prediction for the 2025 season – she predicted that the 23-year-old won’t win her fourth consecutive title at Roland Garros.
“Australia — Sinner and Sabalenka. Roland Garros — Zverev and, let it be, Muchova. I don’t think Šwiątek will win the Grand Slam on clay next year. Wimbledon — Alcaraz or Medvedev for men, Rybakina for girls. US Open — Medvedev or Rublev for men, Sabalenka again for girls,” Safina said.
In 2025, Swiatek heads with new coach Wim Fissette, who has already noted that he has a clear plan of how to help Swiatek elevate her game and be an even bigger threat outside of clay.
Tennis World USA