Iga Swiatek's psychologist Daria's controversial connection to doping ban: ITIA ruling and fan backlash

News of Iga Swiatek testing positive for a banned substance and accepting a one-month ban has sent shockwaves through the world of tennis. An out-of-competition sample provided by her in August this year had trace amounts of the prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ), and the Pole was notified about the concerning development a month later.

The former World No. 1 was provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) and missed three Asia tournaments. Swiatek then claimed that the banned substance had entered her bloodstream via a contaminated medication. The Pole was originally taking it to help her sleep better and fight the adverse effects of jet lag.

Based on ITIA's ruling, Swiatek's longtime team member and compatriot Daria Abramowicz, who serves the five-time Major winner in the capacity of a sports psychologist, used to purchase the medication on behalf of the Pole. Abramowicz also provided a statement of her own to the ITIA, according to the information presented in the official ruling.

Source: International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA)

The revelation concerning Abramowicz's involvement in the contamination has sparked backlash from several tennis fans. They were critical of the sports psychologist, who was first approached by Iga Swiatek for mental coaching in 2019. The popular opinion is that the receipts of purchase and bank records submitted as evidence, all in the name of Abramowicz, are suspicious. Some have even urged the former World No. 1 to part ways with the sports psychologist.

Over the years, Abramowicz has become a pivotal part of the reigning French Open champion's team. In a 2022 interview, she shared how her impact on Swiatek manifests on the court.

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"You can see how she just turns her back to the match" - Daria Abramowicz on her influence on Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek (L) and Daria Abramowicz (R) (Source: Getty)

Iga Swiatek is widely regarded for her ice-cool mentality during matches. The Pole almost always seems calm and composed, even when things are not going in her favor. This has often allowed her to bounce back from seemingly irrecoverable positions.

For instance, in the second round of the 2024 French Open, she looked down and out against Naomi Osaka, but remarkably turned things around and won the match on her way to the claycourt Major title for the fourth time.

Daria Abramowicz told Tennis Majors in 2022 how she helped Swiatek take her mind off matches during changeovers through breathing and collecting her thoughts:

"You can probably see it between the games: how she approaches the changeovers, the way she breathes or does some other things. And in between points, you can see how she just turns her back to the match, thinks a little bit and takes a breath.

That being said, most of the things you cannot see on the court. There are a lot of routines starting with waking up and doing stuff in the order that we already know works well. It is in her, I wanted to say “blood”, but it is better to say that we have established certain routines."

Iga Swiatek's one-month ban will officially end on December 4, with the Pole already having served most of it during her provisional suspension following the US Open. However, she will have to forfeit the prize money she earned at the Cincinnati Open, the first tournament she played after providing the out-of-competition sample that tested positive.