“I had a very violent reaction. It was a mix of disbelief and panic; I cried a lot. I couldn’t read the email to the end because I was already in tears. The people with me said that my reaction was as if someone had died,” said six-time slam champion Iga Swiatek when she had to go through the most unexpected and challenging phase of her career a year ago at this very same time. After testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, a heart medication that is known to increase performance and endurance. She received a 1-month suspension toward the end of 2024. Although she was later cleared, the brief time away from professional tennis left her in shambles and caused her to miss the Asian swing. A year later, though Swiatek has nothing to worry about, the memories of that turmoil are still fresh in her mind.

Following her historic triumph at Wimbledon, Cincinnati, and a quarterfinal run at the US Open, Iga is gearing up to dominate Seoul at the Korea Open. Her debut at this WTA 500 event was set to happen last season. But instead, she will be competing at her maiden Korean Open now. While the former World No.1 is excited for her campaign in Seoul, Swiatek couldn’t help but revisit the ghosts of her past.

In an interaction with The Korean Times, she explained how the entire phase of that suspension proved to be “the toughest in my career.” “I’m happy that I’m past it, and I’m happy that I could resolve it quickly,” she said. “Missing the whole Asian swing wasn’t the easiest because I thought that I could fight for being No. 1 at the end of the year.”

The Pole added, “But missing such important tournaments after (the suspension), it was not really possible. I’m happy that I’m just going to learn from this experience. I’m happy to be here, for sure.”

Despite hitting rock-bottom with the unexpected suspension, she held on to her beliefs. Back in January, her doping case was finally shut after WADA decided to withdraw its appeal against Swiatek. Initially, the agency sought to have her case heard at the CAS (Court of Arbitration in Sports). But it eventually opted to drop the appeal due to “no scientific grounds to challenge” Swiatek.

Speaking of her campaign in Seoul, she is already touted to be the favorite, and deservingly so. She is the No.1 seed going into this event. But guess what? She believes that the outcome can turn out to be anyone’s fortune.

Iga Swiatek downplays her chances in Seoul, and here’s why

During the same interaction, Iga Swiatek also clarified that she’s not the only one who can clinch the Korea Open title. Yes, she will enter the tournament riding on the wave of her Wimbledon and Cincinnati glory, but that doesn’t mean she has an edge. “I don’t think it makes sense to even think about the final already, and any girl can win this tournament,” she confessed.

“Great players come here. So, I’m just going to really take it step by step. Just think about my first match. I only came here yesterday, so I really need to use my time to just focus on here and now, and the practices and the first match.” She concluded with, “We’ll see how I’m going to feel, how I’m going to play, and there are many players who can play in the final. So we’ll see.”

Seoul will also prove to be a good prep zone for Swiatek, especially ahead of the WTA Finals, set to take place in Riyadh in November. The year-end hard court event will feature the top eight female players who will compete for lucrative prize money and the prestigious trophy.

Last year, Swiatek wasn’t able to create any impact in Riyadh after her group stage exit. Will she make a solid return in the 2025 edition? Only time will tell. Before that, however, her entire focus will be on delivering impeccable results in Asian tournaments going forward, starting with Seoul.