Doping test destroys everything: The almost incomprehensible downfall of tennis queen Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek is barely recognizable. Even on clay, the Pole is searching for her form – and Roland Garros is about to begin. Her quality is undisputed; her powerful spin and fast legs continue to pose problems for her opponents, but the misfires are piling up.

This defeat had left its mark, and that was obvious. With red and swollen eyes, Iga Swiatek appeared before the press after her exit in Rome and tried to put into words what everyone had already seen on the court: The glorious clay-court queen had lost her aura of invincibility on her own turf, too.

What's more: Swiatek, who until the summer of 2024 had dominated clay-court tennis like few players ever before, has fallen into a remarkable whirlpool of doubt and gloom. Her 1:6, 5:7 loss to Danielle Collins (USA) in the third round of Rome was testament to this, as was her performance hours later, in which she found no answers to the pressing questions. "I wasn't on the court to fight," said Swiatek, offering insight into her mind: She focuses too much on her mistakes, on what's wrong, on everything negative. "That has to change," declared the Pole. But how?

"She reminds me of Rafael Nadal"

Flashback: Eleven months ago, Swiatek had outshone everyone. She triumphed in Madrid, in Rome, and then for the fourth time at the French Open. Chris Evert, the record holder in Paris with seven titles, was certain: Swiatek would surpass her. "Iga will finish in double figures." Boris Becker enthused: "She always looks so perfect on the court. She reminds me of Rafael Nadal."

In retrospect, it's hard to determine exactly when the break occurred. In the semifinals of the Olympic Games, her streak at Roland Garros ended after 25 victories, and then came the news of her positive doping test. Although Swiatek successfully argued that a drug was contaminated, she only had to sit out for a month, but her confidence was gone.

"That would be stupid"

Her quality is undisputed; her strong spin and fast legs continue to pose problems for her opponents, but the misfires are piling up, and Swiatek herself remains perplexed. In Madrid, Coco Gauff knocked her out of the court; she had previously lost a set 6-0 to Madison Keys (both USA). Now the defeat in Rome, and the French Open starts in two weeks. She has few ambitions for her favorite tournament at the moment, the 23-year-old said in Rome, "that would be stupid, because I'm not capable of playing at my level. It's clear that there's something wrong with what I'm doing." But what?

Swiatek has been working with Daria Abramovicz for years; the sports psychologist has achieved a certain level of fame alongside the tennis player herself. Abramovicz once described Swiatek as a "special personality," "bright, intelligent, witty, and smart," and said Swiatek is open to mental training, but she is also apparently susceptible to negative vibes.

Her team had "made suggestions" on how to free herself from the whirlpool, "and that's exactly what we'll try to do in the coming weeks," Swiatek said. She didn't sound confident, and her eyes radiated anything but hope.