‘Upsetting to see’: Taylor Fritz hits out at ‘insane’ fan behaviour after Iga Swiatek banned for doping violation
The tennis world was sent into a spin on Friday after it was announced that five-time grand slam champion Iga Swiatek had accepted a one-month suspension following a positive test for the banned substance trimetazidine.
Swiatek failed an out-of-competition drug test in August but later claimed the result was caused when the melatonin she was taking for issues with jet lag and sleeping was unintentionally contaminated.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted her explanation, declaring Swiatek’s level of fault was “at the lowest end of the range” with “no significant fault or negligence”.
The situation marks the second high-profile doping case in tennis this year with men’s world No.1 Jannik Sinner failing two tests for an anabolic steroid in March.
Sinner explained that the banned substance entered his system after receiving a massage from his physiotherapist, who had recently applied a spray containing the steroid to treat a cut on his finger.
Sinner was cleared in August and free to contest the US Open later that month, which he went on to win.
The World Anti-Doping Agency has appealed the ruling that exonerated him and is pushing for a lengthy ban.
Combine the lack of transparency from tennis’ governing bodies, obscure facts and the polarising beliefs around doping in sport, and you’ve got a flash point for tennis fans to peddle disinformation on social media.
In the wake of the Swiatek news, American star Taylor Fritz has hit out at fans sharing untrue assumptions online based on who they support.
In a lengthy, self-confessed “rant”, Fritz claimed fans are using doping scandals to push a personal agenda.
“What drives me crazy about these situations (in terms of going on X) is not the actual cases themselves. It’s tough to know exactly what happened/all the details in these specific instances, so the speculation talk isn’t really my favourite thing to do,” he wrote on Friday.
“It’s fine to have your own honest opinions but what I can’t fathom and what is so upsetting to see as a player, is the insane bias from the tennis public supporting whatever story pushes the agenda they want to be pushed.
“If it’s a rival of the player you support that tests positive then you are on team ‘let’s call them a doper/cheater/[and] disgrace them as much as possible’ and if it’s your favourite player that it’s ‘innocent no questions asked’.
“How are you not able to remove your own personal bias and form an educated and honest opinion for yourself?
“Even if as the player, you can prove your innocence (not saying anyone is or isn’t) people that support rival players/have [a] bias against you will always blindly push the narrative you are a cheater, and that fact really makes me sad for all the true innocent players that have to go through this.”
Fritz then continued the discussion, replying to several profiles that engaged with his post.
In the replies, he encouraged fans to “do your research” and “form an opinion with no bias”.
The eight-time ATP Tour title winner also acknowledged that while he is normally not bothered by bias, this discourse online is “serious” as it can impact the integrity of players’ careers.
