Iga Swiatek is as fierce as they come. She has clinched four titles at the French Open, one US Open crown, and now, she’s returned to court as a Wimbledon champion. The Pole has proven her prowess, again and again. She’s been World No.1, so she knows the weight of pressure in this sport. But last year was a test like no other. Back in April, as she prepped for the Stuttgart Open, she was honest in an interview: “It hasn’t been easy for the past months because after having such great seasons, I’ve been on the spotlight and my every move is judged.” Now, she’s finally breaking out of that tough chapter.

For the unversed, Swiatek hasn’t had the smoothest run last year when she was No. 1, as she made headlines following her doping controversy. She served a ban for testing positive for the banned substance Trimetazidine (TMZ). The ITIA found the source: a contaminated, non-prescription melatonin manufactured and sold in Poland that she used for jet lag and sleep. They ruled that Swiatek’s level of fault was at the lowest end of the range for ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’ and handed her a one-month ban.

But returning to the court wasn’t easy with all that baggage. Critics, such as Nick Kyrgios, chimed in, complaining,“Two world number ones (Swiatek and Sinner) both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport.” The headlines were ruthless, and she called it a nightmare to deal with at the time. One that shook her focus on the court. So, how did she come back from that?

Recently, she spoke candidly to ex-pro Andy Roddick on his Served podcast about how her coach, Wim Fissette, who joined her when she didn’t know when she’d be back on the court, helped her get over the mental blocks during the period. “I was finally ready after many months—probably way too long for an athlete like that to change something and to learn something new. And yeah, we waited, and we were still working on stuff, but I got to say it was my fault,” she said. And it’s true.

Swiatek still struggled for titles since that 2024 French Open title. She fell short at the WTA finals in Riyadh. In 2025, she didn’t make a final until Bad Homburg, and there, she left in tears as a runner-up.

As she told Roddick, “I little bit lacked the belief, I would say, and commitment, as he (Fissette) likes to call it. And yeah, when we finally—when I finally let go of the past and I started only thinking about the future—I was able to practice much better, and the quality of my game also was much, much better.”

“It was another proof that in tennis you kind of have to mix this tennis part, the physical part—obviously which I didn’t talk about—and the mentality and all the things that you have in your head,” she added. You can bet she’s vocal about that! Iga is one of the few openly discussing her mental health on tour. She travels with her sports psychologist, Daria Abramowicz. As she heads into the US Open, the former No.1 wants everyone to know the real story—and she’s clearing up the misconceptions.

Iga Swiatek shuts down “depression” claims

Fresh off her remarkable comeback at Wimbledon—where she crushed the final with a historic double bagel—the unstoppable Swiatek is ready to ignite the court again. The Polish powerhouse just touched down in Montreal for the National Bank Open, a sizzling two-week WTA 1000 event. With six Slam titles under her belt, Iga is buzzing with energy and excitement. Before starting her campaign, she shut down the chatter about her mental health, telling TVA Sports, “I would say for the past months the biggest misconception in some media back home was that I am depressed or sad. So that wasn’t true.”

So, where did those rumors come from? It wasn’t just her year-long title drought. Personal challenges played a big part too. She faced the heartbreaking loss of her grandfather and suffered a crushing 1-6, 1-6 semifinal defeat to Coco Gauff in Madrid. The media jumped to conclusions, speculating that grief was impacting her game—especially as Aryna Sabalenka started dominating in Paris. But Iga set the record straight, debunking these stories with honesty.

She added, amused, “People just came to some conclusions out of nowhere or out of 15 minutes that I was frustrated or sad on the court. So, or I heard a lot that I am burnt out which also wasn’t and isn’t true.” Iga Swiatek wrapped it up neatly, saying, “So yeah, but these are I wouldn’t say misconceptions, they are just like theory that sometimes media creates to get more clicks.”

Now, eyes are on her as she gears up for her National Bank Open opener against Guo Hanyu. Will Iga Swiatek keep this momentum rolling and add another trophy on the way to the US Open? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments below!