– How was she allowed to play? – Shapovalov, Fritz, Broady and others react to Świątek’s doping ban

Świątek accepts a one-month suspension after a positive anti-doping test

In an announcement on social media, Świątek shared details of the situation: “Over the past 2.5 months, I have been subject to rigorous ITIA proceedings, which confirmed my innocence,” Świątek said in a video on Instagram. “The only positive doping test of my career, showing an incredibly low level of a banned substance I had never heard of before, calls into question everything I have worked so hard for my entire life.”

“Both my team and I have had to deal with a lot of stress and anxiety. Now everything has been explained in detail and I can return to what I love most with a clean slate.” Watch the rest of her statement below.

Shapovalov questions Swiatek’s suspension

Denis Shapovalov quickly expressed his critical comments after the Iga Świątek doping case was revealed. A few months ago, in the atmosphere of controversy surrounding Jannik Sinner, the Canadian strongly condemned the alleged “special treatment” of the Italian team No. 1 in the world.

True to his style, the former Wimbledon semi-finalist posted a succinct post on X: “1 month ban eh” after the announcement of Swiatek’s suspension.

“It’s unfair that players like Halep and others have received crazy long bans for things like this. I’m glad this is changing because anti-doping rules are unfair. But guys like Ymer are still suspended, and he never even tested positive.”

“You must really hope this never happens to you…” the user replied, adding: “Because contamination can happen to anyone and I’m sure you would appeal too to avoid suspension.”

Shapovalov continued, reiterating his opinion and mentioning Simona Halep and Mikael Ymer as examples of players he felt were treated differently: “It’s unfair that players like Halep and others had crazy long bans for similar reasons. I’m glad this is changing because anti-doping rules are unfair. But guys like Ymer are still suspended, and he never even tested positive.”

Taylor Fritz condemns fan bias in doping scandals

Taylor Fritz, the ATP world No. 4, offered a different perspective, emphasizing that social media often acts as a tool for unfair criticism and biased narratives in doping controversies. “It’s okay to have your own honest opinions, but what I can’t fathom and what so depresses me as a player is the CRAZY prejudice from the tennis public who supports any story that will push the agenda they want,” Fritz wrote.

“If the test in favor of the opposing player you support is positive, it means you are on the team: ‘let’s call him a moron / a cheater / bring him as much disgrace as possible.’ But when it comes to your favorite player, it’s “innocent, no questions asked.”

“How are you unable to get rid of your personal biases and form an educated and honest opinion? Even if a player proves his innocence (not saying anyone is or isn’t), people who support rivals or have prejudice against you will always blindly propagate the narrative that you are a cheater. This fact truly saddens me for all the truly innocent players who have to go through this,” he concluded.

Liam Broady ironically rejects criticism of anti-doping rules

Former Wimbledon junior champion Liam Broady took to social media to mock a user’s criticism of tennis authorities for not including a list of approved drugs. A user suggested: “Wouldn’t it make sense for tennis authorities to have a list of permitted branded supplements/drugs from reputable manufacturers who could demonstrate that their products are clean? Everything else should be tested before use.”

Broady disagreed and responded sarcastically: “I totally agree. It’s already working It’s very easy to just get products that are tested. You can go to the website and simply search for the product to make sure it is safe from contamination.

Eva Lys questions Świątek’s case and draws attention to unequal sanctions for doping

German tennis player Eva Lys reflected on the case of her friend Tara Moore, who faced a long suspension after eating contaminated meat during a tournament in South America. At the time, it was reported that organizers were aware that local meat could cause positive doping test results, but delayed informing the players.

“What about players who ate contaminated meat in South America? Why wasn’t @TaraMoore92 suspended for a month? I’m slowly starting to think that not everyone is entitled to an equal trial…” Lys wrote on social media. “There are many lower-ranked players who are not treated the same as higher-ranked players. I am not saying that anyone is or is not innocent; I say everyone deserves equal opportunities.”

‘How was she allowed to play?’: Tara Moore criticizes Swiatek’s doping case

Moore expressed her disbelief on social media: “Wait… so she was supposed to be suspended until December 4, and yet she played in the BJK Cup… which was (correct me if I’m wrong) LAST WEEK. HOW WAS SHE ALLOWED TO PLAY WHILE SHE IS SUSPENDED??? Someone please explain, I’m going into a spiral. @jon_wertheim @Tennis @TennisChannel”