“People overreact” – Sabalenka drops blunt response to Swiatek’s doping saga
The world No 1 refrained from digging “too deep” into Iga Swiatek’s doping case
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, Madrid 2024
Image Credit: Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic
World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka broke silence on rival Iga Swiatek‘s doping saga after landing in Brisbane for the city’s WTA 500 tournament beginning on December 27.
The news of Swiatek failing an out-of-competition drug test rocked the tennis world in November this year. In August, she tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), which, as per the Pole’s claims, reached her body through a contaminated non-prescription drug melatonin she was consuming to tackle sleeping problems.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) ruled “No (and No Significant) Fault or Negligence” on the five-time Grand Slam champion’s part and banned her from the tour for only a month. The decision divided the tennis fraternity, with many deeming the punishment not being harsh enough.
Recently, Belarus’ Sabalenka faced a question on the same in Brisbane and dropped a blunt answer in response.
“I just feel like we’ll never know the truth,” she said. “I mean, people used to overreact at the first minute the big news come out. So, I feel like I don’t want to dig too deep into that case and I really believe in a clean sport. So, I don’t want to comment on that anyhow else.”
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