Iga Swiatek admits she had some major concerns about how people would react to her failed doping test but after spending some time with fellow players in the locker room she realized that her explanation was accepted, at least by the majority.
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In late November, the ITIA announced that the world No. 2 accepted a one-month ban after testing positive for trimetazidine.
However, the ITIA underlined that it came through contamination and that the investigation determined that the five-time Grand Slam champion was at no fault for what happened.
After the news came to light, Swiatek described the entire process as "the toughest period of her life" that saw her being extremely stressed out but also traumatized since she was crying a lot and fearing what would happen with her career.
But now after spending some time with top players during December's World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi and seeing how others treated her, the 23-year-old is now feeling more settled.
Swiatek: The girls have been really supportive, they are worried this can happen to them as well
"Yeah, I mean, besides the fact I couldn't play, this was the worst thing for me, like what people would say. Because I always worked hard to be a good example, to show my integrity, show good behavior," the former world No. 1 said during her pre-tournament presser at the Australian Open.
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"Again, having no control over this case really freaked me out a bit. But in the locker room, I mean, the girls are great. I already saw on this exhibition in Abu Dhabi that they are really supportive. Most of them even approached me. They're like, Hey, how can we avoid this? Is there any way that we can be more careful?
"They are worried this can happen to them, as well. So in the locker room, yeah, it's been great."
So far, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have been among top players who publicly stated that they believe Swiatek's innocence.
