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On Tuesday, September 24, men's singles player Frederico Ferreira Silva was given a one-month suspension for a doping offence similar to that of Iga Swiatek. Reacting to this news, fans were quick to draw parallels between the two cases while slamming allegations that the Pole had received ‘special treatment’ during her doping controversy.
Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample in August 2024. The former World No.1 argued that her positive test was a result of contaminated melatonin medication and the ITIA subsequently ruled that she bore ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’. The Pole served a one-month suspension, missing three tournaments and many tennis enthusiasts alleged that she received special treatment due to her status as a high-ranking player.
More recently, ATP World No.234 Frederico Ferreira Silva received a one-month suspension after he tested positive for trimetazidine but the ITIA accepted that the violation was a result of contaminated medication. Reacting to the similarities between Silva and Iga Swiatek’s cases, one fan on X wrote,
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“Everybody that said Iga got special treatment is on mute right now.”
Another fan reacted in a similar manner, writing,
“What? Can't be true. This man is a f***ing nobody and had the same one-month suspension as the rich Swiatek??? Where are those who claim double standards and that the rich always have more resources and bla, bla, bla?”
Here is how other tennis enthusiasts reacted to the World No.234 receiving a similar a sentence as Swiatek:
“Those people will call this guy a junkie and will post GIFs with jabs or something like that as they did with Sinner or Iga?? No, they wont because this Frederico is a f***ing nobody and no one cares about a f***ing nobody if there's no benefits on it,” one fan wrote.
“Where's the special treatment army right now,” another added.
“If i see a special treatment tweet again, im throwing hands 😚,” one X user stated.
“But Iga got special treatment... right!” yet another fan chimed in.
Iga Swiatek lifts women's singles trophy at Korea Open
On the tennis end of things, Iga Swiatek was most recently seen in action at the 2025 Korea Open. The 24-year-old led an incredible campaign in Seoul. She kicked off her time at the WTA 500 with a straight sets win over Sorana Cirstea. She then meted out a similar treatment to Barbora Krejikova and Maya Joint.
In the finals, Swiatek took on second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. The Pole had a slow start to the match, and lost the first set 1-6 before staging a remarkable comeback to lay claim to the Korea Open title. Up next, Iga Swiatek will return to action at the China Open, a WTA 1000 event scheduled to take place between September 24 and October 5.
