Polish player Iga Swiatek‘s recent ordeal has landed her in trouble, with supposedly little way out. While the ITIA has found her involvement was unintentional, the tennis fraternity remains divided about supporting Swiatek. And consequently, her state is far from peaceful. After the company responsible for her ordeal issued an apology, an Australian player explained what could have been done to prevent it in the first place.

Swiatek’s case is attracting new controversy after the ITIA announced her doping trial failure. The WTA star tested positive for the banned substance Trimetazidine, which allegedly entered her body through contaminated melatonin. Swiatek was suspended from September 12 to October 4 for failing the test. However, she maintained her innocence from the beginning, claiming she was unaware of how the substance entered her body. Once Swiatek’s argument was proved, the ITIA reduced her punishment.

The former WTA number one star took to social media to clarify the situation, appearing visibly distressed and impacted by the ordeal. After Swiatek’s statement, the manufacturer of the contaminated melatonin issued an apology, offering full cooperation to help clear her name. They also revealed that the amount of Trimetazidine found was significantly below the permissible limit. Despite the growing support for the Polish, many in tennis community remain hesitant to accept her narrative completely.

Australian player Ellen Perez expressed her opinion on X, saying, “Well, it shouldn’t actually happen to any other player because the WTA provides us with free melatonin through their partnership with Usana. I get the point you are trying to make, but don’t take risks where you don’t have to. Very avoidable situation if you take what’s provided.” Perez’s comment was a response to a tennis enthusiast who claimed that all WTA players, except Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina, were non-supportive to Swiatek. While Perez did not directly accuse the former WTA number one, she suggested that Swiatek could have avoided the situation by being more cautious.

Swiatek’s supporters, however, highlighting that she isn’t an fault since she has been taking the same melatonin since she was 19. “If you’ve been taking the same medicine since the age of 19, recommended by your doctor, and your results have always been negative, you have no reason to believe it will be different this time,” one follower commented. Perez clarified that she did not blame Swiatek but merely shed light on the importance of caution. “I’d take no risks, just saying. If there’s any product batch tested and certified vs. not, you bet I’m taking the safer product. Look, I do believe she is innocent as everything adds up. I’m just saying there’s a small bit of ignorance when it’s fully avoidable here,” she replied.

While Perez’s focus was on Swiatek’s negligence, others were more direct in their criticism. Russian former player Yevgeny Kafelnikov voiced his disagreement, pointing out the broader impact of her case on the tennis community. Following Kafelnikov’s path, Aussie player Nick Kyrgios echoed a similar sentiment offering strong opinions.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov blamed Iga Swiatek unwilling to believe her side of the story, receives a nod from Nick Kyrgios

Former Hall of Famer player Kafelnikov expressed his strong criticism on X platform, stating, “And the sad part to all of this is that young and upcoming players (12-16 years old) look at their idols and think maybe it’s normal to use steroids in the future and get away with this! Current players setting bad examples for young generations.”  He also accused Sinner with Swiatek of setting the wrong example for the newcomers. Supporting the former pro’s opinion, Kyrgios retweeted the statement with a “yup.” This Aussie player also said, “The excuse that we can all use is that we didn’t know. Simply didn’t know. Professionals at the highest level of sport can now just say ‘we didn’t know,” which showcased his strong opinion against those who break the rules.

Ellen Perez’s statement highlights that Iga Swiatek could have been more careful. Given her spot in the sport, her followers and the fraternity might have expected more carefulness from her regarding her professional life. However, Swiatek has received her verdict and punishment. Now it is time to see if Swiatek can recover from this misery and return with a bang next year. Do you think she can make it?