What really separates the best from the rest? Probably the short answer to this question would be, mindset! For example, if we take the example of Iga Swiatek, she took 57 minutes to wrap up her match against Amanda Anisimova in the 2025 Wimbledon final. However, her journey to reach the podium at the Centre Court wasn’t so easy. We saw her making coaching, going through a long title drought, ranking drop, and then even her grandfather passed away in the meantime. Other than that, we must not forget that she also tested positive for the prohibited substance TMZ ahead of the 2024 Cincinnati Open. As a result of that, she not only faced a severe backlash in the tennis world but was also provisionally suspended during last year’s China Open and Wuhan Open.
Reacting to her one-month suspension in March this year, Iga Swiatek said, “The second half of last year was extremely challenging for me, especially due to the positive doping test and how circumstances completely beyond my control took away my chance to fight for the highest sport goals at the end of the season.” She claimed she had to rearrange certain things within herself. Now, why are we talking about her darker phase in her glorious time? Well, despite her recent Wimbledon triumph, her controversial doping incident has been brought up yet again on the discussion table.
Seeing these discussions diminishing her Wimbledon glory, tennis legend Pat Cash couldn’t stop himself from sharing his thoughts on the same. In an IG post, Cash stated, “I’ve heard a lot of things on social media about ‘doping cheaters’ winning Wimbledon, but it’s kind of sad that it’s still going on. Światek and Sinner were found to be using a certain substance. However, it wasn’t a performance-enhancing drug. […] They don’t cheat.” Just like Iga Swiatek, even the men’s world number one, Jannik Sinner, was handed a suspension for a similar doping controversy. He had to serve a three-month ban in 2025.
Speaking more on this doping and showing his support to both these players, Cash added, “Before you spew any nonsense, I think you people should do some homework. Even ten minutes of homework. […] If you think WADA and the International Tennis Integrity Unit don’t do their homework and don’t check this, you’re seriously crazy.” He asked their critics to hail Swiatek and Sinner’s mental ability and accept their greatness instead of condemning them just because their favorite player didn’t win the tournament.
On Monday, during an interview with BBC Sport, Jannik Sinner was asked about those who may feel uneasy about his and Swiatek’s win. Replying to that, the Italian revealed that he spoke to Iga Swiatek about this, and they’ve been celebrating these wins even more because it was a difficult time for both of them. “There are always going to be some people who believe in you and [who] do not, but this is in everything. So yeah, in a way, it’s very special, because it was very, very stressful the time on the last four or five months,” Sinner said. Interestingly, Aussie star Nick Kyrgios, who was among the biggest critics of these two, also shared his thoughts after seeing both Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek clinching the titles at Wimbledon. What did he say, though?
Nick Kyrgios praises Iga Swiatek for her incredible Wimbledon triumph
This was Iga Swiatek‘s first title triumph since the 2024 French Open. Before the start of this tournament, everyone had picked her as the favorite at Roland Garros, but no one had then predicted that she’d find success on her least favorite surface this season. She dropped just 35 games to win the title at Wimbledon. With this win, she has now also become the eighth woman to win majors on all three surfaces.
Speaking about her incredible run, Aussie star Nick Kyrgios, who had previously criticized both Swiatek and Sinner during the doping saga, said, “Do I think it’s a good look for the sport that Swiatek and Sinner are in the final at Wimbledon after serving a ban? I don’t think it’s a good look for the sport. And I think people could agree. But I’m not going to sit there and talk about that [on commentary] in the final. They’ve been playing some incredible tennis.”
While sharing his thoughts on TNT Sports, Kyrgios also added, “That’s the moment there when you realise you’ve made it to the pinnacle of the sport. You win Wimbledon, she’s a multiple Grand Slam champion, achieved tennis immortality, is one of the greats of this generation, and still in the midst of her prime.” According to him, the tennis world is now witnessing one of the greats of the women’s side, and owing to this title triumph, he feels that Swiatek will be right at the top at the US Open in terms of his favorites.
What was the key to her recent success, though? Well, as per Iga Swiatek’s psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, Swiatek and her team started to believe in her chances of a title triumph after her SF match against Belinda Bencic. “A very important time was definitely after the tournament in Rome, when the whole team had several very important, not necessarily pleasant, conversations, where Iga’s attitude changed somewhat. To put it mildly, I’d say she really stepped up her game on the court. She changed her approach to certain issues,” said Abramowicz.
Later on, she also admitted that the doping case left its mark on her psyche and only now Swiatek can truly say that she’s come to terms with it. Iga Swiatek accepts all feedback from people she trusts with humility and understanding, said the psychologist. Her Wimbledon triumph was a prime example of why there is a famous saying which states, form is temporary, but the class is permanent! Share your thoughts on her Wimbledon triumph.
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