Swiatek deployed bulging bank account to fight doping charge

Iga Swiatek did not think twice about launching a pricey defence of her career and reputation upon receiving an autumn email advising her of a positive doping test.

The longtime world No. 1 now ranked second behind Aryna Sabalenka  told Polish television that she broke down in tears and was unable to even finish reading the email sent to her after testing positive for trimetazidine at the August Cincinnati Masters.

She and her team immediately huddled to work out a price-no-object strategy.

“I spent about USD 70,000 on a lawyer, EUR 15,000 on expert opinions and tests,” she revealed, although she doesn’t remember the exact amounts,” the 23-year-old with five Grand Slam titles said.

“On top of that, there was also the loss of the financial prize for Cincinnati, but – to be honest – it didn’t matter to me. The most important thing was to prove my innocence.

“I give these amounts in order to make people realise the problems faced by athletes who don’t make as much money as I do on the court and play sports in which salaries are much lower.”

Swiatek’s successful appeal to the International Tennis Integrity Agency – she bore “no fault or negligence” –  resulted in her serving a one-month ban in October and missing the Asian swing.

“A few hours after I found out, we all met and had a brainstorming session. I hired a lawyer from the States who specialised in such cases.

“The fact that I had already earned a lot of money and could afford to spend it on my defence, without even blinking an eye, has definitely helped. 

“I know that many athletes do not have such opportunities and I think this is something that may hold them back, because I actually paid for the entire process,” said the player whose career earnings on court alone have reached nearly USD 25 million.