Iga Swiatek sparks controversy after drawing Elena Rybakina-Jannik Sinner parallel at French Open

Iga Swiatek said she felt as if she was up against Jannik Sinner in the first set of her fourth-round clash against Elena Rybakina at the 2025 French Open. Her words prompted criticism and ridicule from several fans who recalled both her and Sinner testing positive for banned substances last year.

On Sunday, June 1, Swiatek, the three-time defending champion at Roland Garros, got off to a disastrous start against Elena Rybakina. The Kazakh won the first set 6-1 and then established a 2-0 lead in the second. Remarkably, the Pole turned things around and ultimately progressed to the quarterfinals by clinching the second and third sets 6-3, 7-5, respectively.

During her post-match, on-court interview, Iga Swiatek shared the feelings she experienced while playing against Elena Rybakina in the first set. The former No. 1 said:

"Well, it was tough. First set, I felt like I’m playing against Jannik Sinner. Elena really pushed me. I needed to do something to get back into the game and honestly, with her playing like that, I didn’t have a lot of hopes."

She added:

"But I just kept fighting and I’m happy that I did that because every game I felt like I could loosen up even more. And at the end, I was able to play my game, so I’m super happy."

Many fans on X (formerly Twitter) ridiculed Swiatek for bringing up reigning ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Most of the backlash from fans revolved around the Pole and the Italian testing positive last year for the banned substances trimetazidine and clostebol, respectively. Swiatek served a month-long ban, while Sinner settled for a three-month suspension with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

"A Doper recognizes another Doper 👏👍," a fan wrote.

"Takes one druggie to know another 😉," commented another.

"They were both banned right?" one questioned.

"They both shouldn't be allowed on the tennis court!! Two cheats who's positive result was kept hush hush and and were handed a "settlement" so they couldn't miss any major to save the image of this sport!!," another fan chimed in.

"Partners in crime inspire each other," wrote one rather sarcastically.

"Iga has to be one of the least liked players on court and changing rooms," weighed in yet another fan.

Swiatek's next challenge in her French Open title defense will be to come out on top against Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals.

---

Iga Swiatek favorite on paper to win French Open QF against Elina Svitolina courtesy Pole's superiority in WTA Tour-level head-to-head with Ukrainian

Elina Svitolina (left) and Iga Swiatek (right) (Source: Getty)

Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina have so far clashed on four occasions, with the Pole winning three of them. The pair's maiden meeting came in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Italian Open. Here, Swiatek registered a 6-2, 7-5 win.

Next, the Pole and the Ukrainian clashed in the last eight of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. This time around, it was Svitolina who emerged victorious in three sets. They met again at the 2024 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships' Round of 16, where Swiatek registered an emphatic straight-set triumph.

Their latest meeting came in another Round of 16 clash at this year's Miami Open. Once again, it was Iga Swiatek who came out on top.