Iga Swiatek doping ban: ‘I was confident she is innocent from the start’, says the Pole’s coach
Iga Swiatek’s coach Wim Fissette has spoken for the first time since the news of the Polish star’s ban for failing a drug test emerged.
Fissette declared that the case did not affect his decision to team up with Swiatek as he has been “confident” she was innocent “from the start.”
It was revealed on Thursday that Swiatek had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in August. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in a statement that Swiatek had received a one-month suspension as it was deemed she carried “no significant fault or negligence.”
The ITIA accepted Swiatek’s explanation that the substance entered her body due to the contamination of non-prescription medication she had been using for jet lag and sleep issues.
Swiatek was provisionally suspended from September 12 to October 4, which means the 23-year-old Polish star had already served 22 days of her ban on the day the news emerged — leaving just eight days left to serve.
Therefore, the five-time Grand Slam champion and world No 2 will be able to compete at her next two scheduled events: the United Cup and the Australian Open.
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Swiatek hired Fissette as her coach last month after parting ways with Tomasz Wiktorowski.
The 23-year-old pulled out of WTA 1000 events in Beijing and Wuhan during the suspension period before she returned to action at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
In an interview with The National, Fissette spoke about the difficulty of the situation for Swiatek.
“Trust is a foundation of good relationships in our team from the very beginning,” the renowned Belgian coach said.
“Iga told me about the case and left me the decision about our cooperation. I have been observing her for a long time, her values, her work ethic, her standards.
“I was confident that she is innocent from the start, so it did not influence my decision about joining the team.
“It was an extremely stressful and difficult situation for Iga and for the whole team.
“Nevertheless, Iga is a fighter on and off court, this was another tough battle she won. Now we will focus together on the next season supporting each other and working as a team.”
