Why the 'drug ban' headline should be put to rest when talking about Iga Swiatek's Wimbledon 2025 win

Iga Swiatek lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish from the Royal Box on Saturday (July 12) at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (AELTC) as she beat American Amanda Anisimova in straight sets to seal her first-ever Wimbledon victory.

The World No.8 defeated Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in straight sets in just 57 minutes. Swiatek's victory saw her become the first Polish player to lift a Wimbledon title, and also marked the first time in the Open Era that a final was won 6-0, 6-0 at Wimbledon.

However, it wasn't all strawberries and roses for the Pole at the All England Club, as questions were almost immediately raised about her ban after testing positive for banned drugs in August 2024.

The 24-year-old tested positive for a prohibited substance, trimetazidine (TMZ), back in August, following which she accepted a one-month suspension from the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme.

Iga Swiatek appealed the case to the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), which accepted that the positive test result was caused by contamination from non-prescription medication that she had been taking to address jet lag and sleep issues, and that the violation was not intentional as a result.

However, since the medication was still manufactured and packaged in the player's country of residence, she was not granted a full pardon, but rather the lowest level of penalty, "No Significant Fault or Negligence".

Following this, the body imposed a one-month suspension on the 24-year-old, which she accepted. The six-time Grand Slam winner missed three tournaments during the duration and also had to forfeit any prize money earned at the tournament following the test, the Cincinnati Open.

Fellow tennis player Jannik Sinner also underwent similar scrutiny and faced similar outcomes following his ban, which sparked controversy in the tennis world as stars from the past and present shared their thoughts on the matter.

The Italian World No.1 tested positive for a prohibited substance, clostebol, after his physiotherapist apparently used an over-the-counter medication containing the substance, and subsequently, entered Sinner's system.

However, both athletes served their suspensions at a time when no Grand Slams were set to take place, despite being handed suspensions that would have seen them miss at least one Major. This decision by the ITIA to enforce the suspensions left many players unsettled at the preferential treatment being given to World No.1 players at the time, despite other players facing much worse repercussions for similar cases.

2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios was at the forefront of the protests, as he was quick to point out what the optics of both World No.1s being banned for doping would look like for tennis.

“Two world No 1s both getting done for doping is disgusting for our sport. It’s a horrible look. Tennis integrity right now – and everyone knows it but no one wants to speak about it – it’s awful,” said Kyrgios (via Telegraph).

23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams was also quick to throw shade in an interview with Time magazine, claiming if she had failed a drug test like the pair, she would have been thrown in jail.

“If I did that, I would have gotten 20 years. Let’s be honest. I would have gotten Grand Slams taken away from me,” said one-half of the Williams sisters at the Time100 Gala.

More than the ITIA ruling that the amount of TMZ identified on Swiatek was not performance-enhancing, the positive test seemingly only hindered her in the tournaments that followed.

The 24-year-old underwent severe scrutiny from the press, players, and fans alike. After the Pole tested positive before the Cincinnati Open, she struggled for form, with the mental strain caused by the positive doping test result severely affecting her performances. Swiatek failed to lift a title at a singles tournament for close to eight months, a stark contrast when compared to her pre-ban form where she won several tournaments on the trot such as Indian Wells, Madrid Open, Italian Open, and the French Open.

After a long and hard wait, and changes in coaching, she finally pulled it back to win her first trophy in a long time. If anything this is proof of the effect of her ban, extending well beyond what it should have.

Having moved past the claims now, and close to a year since her positive test, Iga Swiatek has put all doubts aside as she swept past her competitors to claim her maiden Wimbledon title. The Pole has served her suspension in good faith, and has done well for herself to come back and win a Grand Slam, over a year since her last one.

Iga Swiatek makes history in Wimbledon final after moving past doping claims

Iga Swiatek at the Championships 2025 | Getty Images

Iga Swiatek's emphatic 6-0, 6-0 win against Amanda Anisimova shattered several records as the Pole lifted her maiden trophy at the All England Championships.

After coming back from suspension, following a positive test for TMZ, the World No.8 had not won a single title. However, Swiatek rose to the occasion at the chance of winning her first ever grass Major at Wimbledon.

Her 6-0, 6-0 victory marks the first time since 1911 that the ladies' final has ended with the victor not dropping a single game at the All England Club. She also became the first Polish player to win at Wimbledon in the Open Era, and became only the third woman to reign supreme at SW19 from the No.8 seed.