A player who is able to bounce back after undergoing a tough phase is a true champion. Well, Iga Swiatek perfectly fits in this case. The Pole failed a doping test last year and was suspended for a month after her blood sample tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine. Although she returned to the court soon after serving her ban, Swiatek failed to get back to her peak until this year’s Wimbledon Championships. Swiatek won her sixth Grand Slam title at the grass-court major event, defeating Amanda Anisimova in the final. After her success there, Swiatek reflected on the tough times she faced and how she overcame them.

The Pole is now eyeing a good performance at the US Open Swing, and the Canadian Open will be her first assignment in this regard. Ahead of the tournament, she appeared on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, during which Swiatek made a candid revelation on her journey since the doping controversy.

She said, “It started with my case and coming back after that case. All these mixed feelings that I had, playing in Australia and then playing well in Doha, I lost in semis but I felt that I was playing good. Maybe, it was a bit, not a lot of humility, but I felt like I deserved to be number one and it was taken away from me. And I just felt like the world is not fair. I know it is pretty childish and I’m a top tennis player so I shouldn’t be angry about things like that.”

Further, Swiatek went on to add, “I should be kind and grateful but it took a while to get over it and to focus instead of the past. The reset didn’t really come after Roland Garros. It came after Rome. You know, also switching coaches was a big deal for me because I don’t like changes. My team is super important for me and any change it’s like putting me off balance.”

During that period, Swiatek also lost her World Number 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka. It was a tough feeling for her after having dominated the WTA Tour for many months. Nonetheless, it was an emotional moment for Swiatek, and she made a shocking admission on how she came to know about her failed doping test.

When Iga Swiatek cried her heart out

On the court, you’ll seldom find Swiatek expressing her emotions clearly. She lets her performance do the talking and prefers to keep a neutral reaction. However, when she came to know about her failed doping test last year, the Pole couldn’t stop crying, and she made her feelings felt during an interview recently.

She revealed, “I was at a photo shoot with my sponsor in Warsaw. We were in the middle of changing locations. I checked my email and saw I had received a message. I didn’t even read it because I immediately started crying. My agents, who were there with me, thought someone had died. I gave my manager my phone and she read everything. They were confused because no one knew what to do in such a situation.”

Nonetheless, the incident is a thing of the past now, and Swiatek is back to winning ways. The former World Number 1 will look to continue her winning run and aim to win her seventh Grand Slam title in New York.