Swiatek reflects on positive drugs test: “It was worst time of my life”

“Crazy”, “abstract” and “the worst time of my life”; for Iga Swiatek, the shock and horror of her positive drugs test and subsequent one-month ban still lingers.

The Pole was banned for a month after taking a melatonin medication, contaminated with a banned substance, late last year, escaping a longer sanction after proving it came via an outside source.

Back on Tour and gunning for a sixth Grand Slam title, Swiatek said she is “happy it’s behind me” but as she reflected on the incident and the subsequent process, it was plain to see that it affected her significantly.

“I’ve got to say, for sure it wasn’t easy. It was probably like the worst time in my life. And the fact that I had no control over this whole situation and I had no chance to avoid it, yeah, it made it even worse because I’m a control freak a little bit.

“Just having the feeling that everything that I kind of built can be taken away so quickly because of something you have no control over, it was pretty crazy for me and really abstract. So it wasn’t easy, for sure. I’m happy that I’m kind of done with it and I can play tennis and be here.

“For sure this whole process was pretty abstract for me. Especially when I know that I didn’t do anything and I had no idea to know that some medicine can be contaminated. I’m always careful, so…I had no idea that this can even happen to me.”

“Now I’m keeping everything to be ready just in case”

Swiatek admitted she was taking extra steps now to ensure that she does not go through something similar again.

“The supplements and medications that I always use, I use kind of similar ones for over the years, they are already good,” she said. “I knew that they are good because they are good brands, like, they have certificates and everything.

“Now I have the certificates for every batch, every lot number. After I finish a lot number, I keep some in the storage kind of to be ready when something happens. The thing is, it wasn’t so obvious that I’m going to have this melatonin to test. If I would (have) run out of it on US Open, for example, I would just throw it out, the box, and then I wouldn’t know. Now I’m kind of keeping everything to be ready just in case.”