Taylor Fritz Argues With Fans About Iga Swiatek's Doping Drama

Taylor Fritz argued with fans about Iga Swiatek's doping controversy.
Taylor Fritz addressed the discourse among tennis fans surrounding Iga Swiatek on social media.
Taylor Fritz addressed the discourse among tennis fans surrounding Iga Swiatek on social media. / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The entire tennis world was shocked on Thursday morning when they learned that WTA World No. 2 Iga Swiatek had tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended for a month.

Swiatek joined the ATP World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who also had a doping controversy this year. Even worse for tennis, it appears the sport's governing bodies and agencies were less than transparent during the months-long process.

The combination of shocking news and hazy facts acts as an accelerant for hot takes on social media. ATP World No. 4 Taylor Fritz felt compelled to speak on the discourse among tennis fans on social media.

"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 favorite thing to do," said Fritz.

He added, "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."

Fritz concluded, "Even if as the player, you can prove your innocence (not saying anyone is or isn’t) people that support rival players/have 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 went on to reply to multiple fans on social media. Many of the people engaging in the debate went off topic pretty quickly. As always, social media is not a conducive medium for thoughtful discourse, and today is a prime example of that for tennis fans.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.