Swiatek and a sincere reflection on the anti-doping system: "It generates a bit of anxiety"

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Iga Swiatek arrives at the Mutua Madrid Open 2025 with the aim of completely turning around her season. These are not easy days for the Polish player, who is defending a significant amount of points on the clay court circuit while seeking to regain her best form. Madrid, a title she claimed last year with a brilliant performance, could be the perfect starting point, something which the Polish player expressed in a press conference where she talked about her rematch against Eala, anti-doping protocols, and various other topics.

- About her great final against Sabalenka last year, where she achieved victory

"Honestly, I think about it sometimes, but not in a specific way, because, yes, it was a great match, I felt like I couldn't believe I had won such a match. There aren't many matches at that level, sometimes the finals are worse than the quarters or semis because players are a bit tired, but Aryna and I put on a great show and I love it. It was a fantastic match for the fans. I arrive here feeling good in training, but we'll see how the matches go."

- Do you prefer one-week tournaments or two-week tournaments?

"Honestly, I've stopped thinking about that. You try to adapt to what we have each week. Events have been changed to longer ones for a while, so I've adjusted to this system, but I was also comfortable when we played one-week tournaments. I think my results haven't changed either, so I don't mind, I'm comfortable with both systems."

- What changes when the clay court season arrives? Do you feel like you play with more relaxation?

"At the beginning, you focus on many things, you adjust many aspects of your tennis, so it's fantastic that the first days consist of training and making these concepts stronger. I love that on clay you can be more creative in terms of tactics and everything else, I really enjoy it. I feel that if I apply this on the court, then undoubtedly I will play more relaxed. I know what my strengths are, I know that my defense always serves as a plan B, which is sometimes impossible on faster courts, for example. Using that gives me confidence."

- The difficulties of the anti-doping system and the caution she must employ in her daily life, especially after what happened to her

"Honestly, after a couple of years, you think about this all the time. It causes a bit of anxiety. I'm not just talking about myself, because in a way I've gotten used to the system and I've been through the worst, and I was able to come back and sort it out, which makes me feel like nothing can stop me. I also talk about other players: it's not easy, the whole system is very tough. I didn't have much control over what happened to me, and I can imagine that other players feel that fear that it could happen to them. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with everything about giving your location and what needs to be done at the system level. Every day, while we travel, we have to literally say where we are. If we forget, we might have a 'not present', and with three misses, you get penalized. There's a lot of pressure with that, and it's not easy to handle, but it is what it is."

- Rematch against Eala in her next match after her defeat in Miami

"Honestly, I haven't faced Alexandra many times, so it's hard to say. Both of us will adjust our tennis being on clay. Today I'll talk about tactics with Wim (Fisette), but I'm not going to give any predictions, I'm not a fortune teller (smiles). I feel like I know this place very well, so I'll try to use my experience, but experience doesn't play, so I have to approach this match like any other, no matter what happened in Miami."

- About the "monster" that Rafa created on clay, in Federer's words, and if she feels she has been able to create something similar with her successes on clay

"Are you referring to what people might think? It's crazy, but people sometimes aren't aware that we're human. The expectations regarding winning titles have been high, but they have always been for me since 2022. I try to do my job and not focus on what people say. I have no idea what's going on in their lives, so if they think that, they can, but it's not necessarily true, although I appreciate their high hopes."

- In Miami, she dealt with the expulsion of a Polish fan who insulted her during one of her training sessions. How safe does she feel in these types of events?

"Honestly, with everything that happened, not just with me but with other players, the WTA reacted quickly and helped us immediately, so I feel safe because of that. There are many crazy things that can happen, you never know what. I don't know what the procedure is regarding checking who can enter the venue or not, it's not something I'm familiar with, but based on the WTA's reaction and what they always say about protecting us, I hope everything remains the same."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Swiatek y una sincera reflexión sobre el sistema antidopaje: "Genera un poco de ansiedad"