Iga Swiatek has her sights set on regaining the world number one ranking having dropped to number two earlier this year.
Swiatek enjoyed a strong year on the court in 2024 as she won four WTA 1000 titles, taking her tally to ten.
She then took home her fifth Grand Slam title as Swiatek won the French Open, beating Jasmine Paolini in the final.
Her year was marred by a doping controversy, however, as Swiatek tested positive for Trimetazidine, resulting in a one-month suspension from tennis.
She wasn’t the only star to commit a doping violation this year, as Jannik Sinner is awaiting a possible suspension, with an appeal for his Clostebol contamination case set to take place next year.
Swiatek has ‘served her time’, but has now revealed whether she thinks she could be subject to an appeal just like the Italian world number one.
Iga Swiatek doesn’t think there is ‘any reason’ for WADA to appeal her doping ban
Speaking in a press conference ahead of the 2025 United Cup, Swiatek was asked whether she thinks the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) could appeal her doping ban.
“Well, I don’t think there is any reason, because I didn’t play three tournaments, I was suspended for a long time, and I lost number one because of that,” she said.
“I also know how the procedure worked, and I gave every possible evidence and there is not much honestly, to do more.
“I don’t know, there is no point to do an appeal in our opinion, you know.”
Amidst plenty of discussion as to the ‘fairness’ of doping violation procedures in recent weeks, Swiatek gave her thoughts on the way she’d been treated.
“I’m not expecting an appeal, but I have kind of no influence on what’s going to happen,” said the Pole.
“But I can say from the processes that I went through and how they treated me from the beginning, that it seemed fair for me. I managed to give the source pretty quickly.
“That’s why the case closed pretty quickly, but still, I didn’t play tournaments, and I got a fine, a small one, symbolic one, but it’s over now.
“So I guess, in my opinion, it was a fair process, and I trust the ITIA that in any case they do, they’re going to treat every player the same way and fairly.”
Can Iga Swiatek regain the number one ranking from Aryna Sabalenka at the 2025 Australian Open?
Swiatek’s one-month suspension saw her lose the number-one ranking to Aryna Sabalenka, something that she’ll be looking to get back in the new year.
The pair will be playing several warm-up tournaments before they head to Melbourne for the Australian Open, but who needs what at the first Grand Slam of the season to take the top spot?
- If Aryna Sabalenka wins the Australian Open – Aryna Sabalenka remains world number one
- If Aryna Sabalenka reaches the final/semi-final of the Australian Open and Iga Swiatek loses in the first round of the Australian Open – Aryna Sabalenka remains world number one
- If Iga Swiatek wins or reaches the final of the Australian Open – Iga Swiatek becomes world number one
- If Iga Swiatek reaches the semi-final/quarter-final of the Australian Open and Aryna Sabalenka fails to reach the semi-finals – Iga Swiatek becomes world number one
- If Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka both lose in the same round – Iga Swiatek becomes world number one
Swiatek only reached the third round in Melbourne last year, whilst Sabalenka took home her second consecutive title, gifting the Pole a great chance to snatch back the number one ranking in the new year.
Those permutations can of course change, as Swiatek prepares to compete at the United Cup, and Sabalenka heads to the Brisbane International.
It is of course impossible to predict who will hold the top spot in the WTA rankings upon the conclusion of the 2025 Australian Open, but both Swiatek and Sabalenka will surely think they have what it takes to claim the number one ranking for themselves.
The Australian Open featuring Swiatek and Sabalenka is set to get underway on January 12.
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