Iga Swiatek reveals significant expenses used for doping case defence
Iga Swiatek has detailed the costs that she had to undergo to help defend her case, after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ).
Swiatek recently accepted a one month suspension, following testing positive for TMZ in an out-of-competition test back in August.
The five-time Grand Slam champion was cleared of any wrongdoing by the International Integrity Agency (ITIA), on the grounds of contamination, and as a result only received a one month suspension that has now concluded.
Polish tennis player Iga Świątek has accepted a one-month suspension under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme.
— International Tennis Integrity Agency (@itia_tennis) November 28, 2024
When speaking to Polish news outlet TVN24, Swiatek shared the process that led to her defence, “Certainly, the fact that I have such a position helped me gather people around me who, as soon as I learned about the situation, went to great lengths to help me.”
The 23-year-old continued, “A few hours after I found out, we all met and brainstormed. I hired a lawyer from the United States who specialises in such matters. The fact that I have already earned a lot of money and can afford to spend it on my defense, without a second thought, definitely helped.
“I know that many athletes don’t have such opportunities, and I think that’s something that might hold them back,because I actually paid for the entire process.”
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There has been a lot of criticism for the ITIA by both players and fans, with many suggesting that the current system is not fair on lower ranked players.
This is something that Swiatek pointed out when detailing the costs that she had to spend defending her case, “I spent about $70,000 on a lawyer, and €15,000 on expert opinions and tests. On top of that, there was the loss of the prize money from Cincinnati ($158,944), but, honestly, that didn’t matter to me.
“The most important thing was to prove my innocence. I’m sharing these amounts so people can realise the kind of problems athletes face, especially those who don’t earn as much money as I do on the court and compete in sports where earnings are much lower.”
Swiatek earned a whopping $8,550,693 in prize money this year, behind only Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff on the WTA Tour.
The 2024 Highest-Paid Female Athlete list is here! The latest from @kbadenhausen, tennis players dominate the list, with Coco Gauff leading the way with $30.4M in earnings this year.
Check out the full list: https://t.co/UAHvschj4f pic.twitter.com/AURKTeK5Mb
— Sportico (@Sportico) December 4, 2024
Inside the baseline…
It is important and commendable that Iga Swiatek has shared such personal information like this, as it shows that she is trying to be transparent and is aware of the privileges that she has as a higher ranked player. The money Swiatek spent on her defence is only a fraction of her on-court and off-court earnings this year, but for lower ranked players this would be too much to fork out on and therefore they are more likely to suffer lengthier and potentially career ruining suspensions.
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