"I started crying, they thought someone died" - Iga Swiatek gets emotional revealing how psychologist Daria helped her after doping ban news came out

Iga Swiatek got emotional while revealing how her psychologist Daria Abramowicz helped her when she received the news about her doping ban. The Pole was in a photoshoot when she received the message and cried for over half an hour before composing herself to complete the shoot.

During her recent appearance on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Swiatek opened up in detail about the exact moment she found out about her doping ban. It happened unexpectedly during a sponsor shoot in Warsaw, and the shock of the situation left her deeply shaken.

The former World No. 1 explained that she had been in the middle of changing locations for the photoshoot when she casually checked her email, expecting a routine message. What she read instead brought her to tears instantly.

"I started crying, and my agents that were there with me for my shoot, they literally thought that someone died," Iga Swiatek revealed. "So I gave my manager the phone, and she read everything. They were also pretty confused because obviously no one knows what to do in a situation like that."

Despite being visibly emotional and unsure whether to continue, she called her physical conditioning coach and her psychologist, Abramowicz, who both rushed to support her. Swiatek, after crying for almost 40 minutes, eventually decided to go ahead with the shoot.

She also spoke about the crucial emotional support she received from her psychologist, both in the immediate aftermath and in the months that followed.

"And for sure, Daria knowing me so well—being my psychologist—also helped me at that point and months later when I was already on the court. I had so many different thoughts about this whole process. She helped me to find some logic in it, even though it was super hard," Swiatek said.

After putting the ban and bad form accompanying it behind her, Swiatek managed to win her first Wimbledon title by defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final a fortnight ago.

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Iga Swiatek went through a turbulent time out of form after her doping ban before winning Wimbledon

Iga Swiatek at the WTA 1000 National Bank Open presented by Rogers - Source: Getty

After a turbulent year marked by uncertainty and personal challenge, Iga Swiatek’s triumph at Wimbledon felt like a full-circle moment.

The former world No. 1 endured a one‑month doping suspension in late 2024 after testing positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), a prohibited substance. The International Tennis Integrity Agency determined the source was inadvertent contamination in an over‑the‑counter melatonin supplement she had taken for sleep and jet lag.

Though she was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, the stress impacted her form throughout the coming months. Despite reaching multiple semifinals, she failed to convert any into finals or titles. It was an uncharacteristic dry spell for someone who had dominated the WTA tour in previous years.

But her bounce-back in the grass season was emphatic. She reached the final in Bad Homburg before capturing her first Wimbledon crown. Reflecting on her journey, Iga Swiatek offered a powerful perspective after her triumph (via APNews):

"The lesson is just that even when you feel like you’re not on a good path, you can always get back to it if you put enough effort and you have good people around you."

Now refreshed and refocused, Swiatek heads to the Canadian Open in Montreal as the second seed. She will begin her campaign in the second round against China’s Guo Hanyu.

Edited by Pritha Ghosh