"Rules are rules unless you're No. 1" - Denis Shapovalov and Thai-Son Kwiatkowski suggest double standards in Iga Swiatek's doping ban treatment
Iga Swiatek's doping ban has prompted sharp responses from Denis Shapovalov and Thai-Son Kwiatkowski. While Shapovalov questioned the duration of Swiatek's suspension, Kwiatkowski expressed his doubts over the rules that according to him, are different for different players.
On Thursday (Nov. 28), the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) released a statement announcing that in an out-of-competition sample provided by Swiatek in August, the Pole tested positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ). Swiatek was informed of the positive result in September.
The ITIA handed Iga Swiatek a provisional suspension, which kept her out from three prestigious events during the Asian hardcourt swing. The five-time Major winner later successfully appealed against the ITIA's decision, and ultimately accepted a one-month suspension, which will end on December 4 (taking into account the provisional suspension Swiatek has already served).
Recently, former ATP World No. 10 Denis Shapovalov ridiculed the fact that Swiatek only received a one-month suspension.
"1 month ban eh?" Shapovalov questioned on X.
Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, a Vietnamese-American former ATP player, implied that the rules seem to be different when it comes to elite players like Swiatek and Jannik Sinner. The ATP World No. 1 got embroiled in a separate doping controversy in the buildup to the 2024 US Open.
"Rules are rules unless you're number one in the world," Kwiatkowski wrote on X.
Shapovalov had previously objected to the punishment meted out to ATP rival Jannik Sinner after the Italian twice tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
Denis Shapovalov had aired his frustrations at perceived leniency towards Jannik Sinner
Ahead of the 2024 US Open, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and the ITIA jointly announced that the Italian had twice tested positive for clostebol, a prohibited performance-enhancing substance, earlier in the year. However, despite the positive tests, Sinner's team managed to prove to the ITIA and then an ITIA-appointed independent tribunal that he himself was not at fault for the exposure.
The ITIA found the Italian's argument conclusive and allowed him to continue playing on the ATP Tour. However, the case remains unresolved, as the World Anti-Doping Agency has since appealed against Sinner's case and their appeal will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on an unspecified date, possibly next year.
When the news of Sinner's positive tests first broke, Denis Shapovalov was quick to suggest that the Italian's position of power and influence within the game had something to do with the leniency shown to him by the governing bodies concerned.
"Different rules for different players," Shapovalov wrote on X at the time.
Sinner himself has maintained throughout that he believes the outcome will be in his favor. However, Nick Kyrgios, whose views on the subject match those of Shapovalov, believes that the Italian should be banned for two years.