Iga Swiatek wins Wimbledon after a difficult year that included a doping case and a title drought

LONDON (AP) — For weeks while back home in Warsaw last year, Iga Swiatek hung out with friends and made new ones, but didn't dare tell them about a doping case that was hanging over her.

“Obviously, in the back of my mind,” she said Saturday evening at the All England Club, “I had this thing.”

There was more going on, too, and she only opened up to her family and her team. A coaching change. A long-for-her title drought. A ranking drop. Her grandfather's passing.

“It all (happened) together,” Swiatek said. "It wasn’t easy."

And so, in some ways, the Wimbledon championship Swiatek claimed Saturday with a 6-0, 6-0 victory — yes, read that score again — in 57 minutes over Amanda Anisimova could be viewed as more than merely a significant on-court result.

It mattered, of course, that she finally conquered grass courts, in general, and that venue, in particular. That the 24-year-old from Poland became the youngest woman with at least on major trophy on all three surfaces since 2002, when Serena Williams did it at age 20. That Swiatek now needs only an Australian Open title to complete a career Grand Slam.

In the bigger picture, though, this triumph followed a difficult 12-plus months and provided the following takeaway, in Swiatek's words: “The lesson is just that even when you feel like you’re not on a good path, you can always get back to it if you put enough effort and you have good people around you.”

There was a not-long-ago stretch in which she was considered far-and-away the best in women's tennis.

“She’s an unbelievable player,” Anisimova said.

Swiatek held the No. 1 ranking for most of the past three seasons. She put together a 37-match winning streak in 2022 that included six tournament titles until it ended — where else? — at Wimbledon.

She won five Grand Slam titles, four on the red clay at the French Open and one on the hard courts at the U.S. Open, and established herself as a bona fide star.

Except there was always the matter of what went on when she played on grass. Zero titles. Zero finals. One quarterfinal run at the All England Club.

The questions kept arising, from herself and from others. Then those doubts spread to other events and other surfaces.

She left the 2024 Olympics, held at Roland-Garros, with a bronze medal after losing in the semifinals. She departed Wimbledon last year in the third round, the U.S. Open in the quarterfinals. She exited the French Open last month in the semifinals, ending her bid for a fourth consecutive championship there.

In all, Swiatek went more than a year without reaching a final anywhere.

Then there was the matter of a one-month doping ban she accepted after failing an out-of-competition drug test. The International Tennis Integrity Agency accepted her explanation that the result was unintentional and caused by the contamination of a non-prescription medication she was taking for issues with jet lag and sleeping.

“The second half of last year was extremely challenging for me, especially due to the positive doping test and how circumstances completely beyond my control took away my chance to fight for the highest sport goals at the end of the season,” Swiatek wrote in a social media post in March, adding that the episode “forced me to rearrange certain things within myself.”

Eventually, Swiatek was able to Saturday, “I came back to being my old kind of self," even if she still is “way more scared about eating something that will be contaminated.”

On June 12, a month to the day before facing Anisimova — Swiatek checked her phone’s calendar to be sure — and a week after her 26-match French Open winning streak came to a close, it was time to get to work.

Swiatek headed to the Spanish island of Mallorca to practice on grass. Next was a trip to Germany for more training before entering a tournament there. She made it all the way to that final before losing and tearing up during the post-match ceremony.

Two weeks later, at Wimbledon, Swiatek was all smiles, and as she left her last interview of the day, she joked: “That was a good therapy session.”

Poland's Iga Swiatek returns to Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. during the women's singles final at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates winning the women's singles final match against Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. on the balcony of Centre Court at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 12, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates winning the women's singles final match against Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. on the balcony of Centre Court at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 12, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates winning the women's singles final match against Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 12, 2025.(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates with the trophy after beating Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. to win the women's singles final at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves were missing star Anthony Edwards again.

Their poise was present and accounted for.

With Edwards absent for the second straight game on Sunday with soreness in his right foot, his teammates picked up the slack after a sluggish start — and delivered another steely performance down the stretch on the way to a 117-103 victory over Sacramento.

The Timberwolves outscored the Kings 29-19 over the final 12 minutes, a league-leading eighth time this season they've had a 10-plus-point advantage in the fourth quarter.

“I think our composure down the stretch has gotten a lot better. Our ability to make the right read — and certainly shot making — has helped in those moments,” coach Chris Finch said.

The Timberwolves (17-9), who have won seven of their last eight games, exacted a measure of revenge for their 117-112 overtime loss at Sacramento on Nov. 24 when they blew a 10-point lead with less than three minutes remaining in regulation.

That game came three nights after they fumbled an eight-point lead with 49 seconds left at Phoenix and lost 114-113.

“We talked about how we need to be better in closing games and the themes that popped up,” Finch said, “and guys have done a good job of addressing that.”

Edwards has been considered day-to-day with his availability. Finch said before the game the injury “hasn't calmed down to the point where he's able to go.”

Backup point guard Mike Conley was also sidelined on Sunday, the 19-year veteran's second straight absence due to a right Achilles tendon injury. The short-handed backcourt meant another start for Bones Hyland, who has recently worked his way into a more meaningful role. Then center Rudy Gobert left the game midway through the third quarter for what the team announced as personal reasons.

The absence of the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner down the stretch forced Naz Reid to play the last 20 minutes of the game. The 2024 Sixth Man of the Year award winner finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds and made sure the interior defense didn't collapse without the long arms of Gobert.

“A lot of the times we kind of understand the sense of urgency in the second half,” Reid said. “It’s nice to kind of have that at the end of the game, but I think we just kind of figure it out as the game goes on. As the second half comes, we kind of all-the-way turn it on, which is like not normal, but we’ve been getting the wins.”

Edwards missed four games earlier this season with a strained right hamstring. The three-time All-Star, who is eighth in the NBA with an average of 28.7 points per game, has already tallied his most absences since the 2021-22 season when he played in 72 games.

With the Timberwolves in a slower stretch of the schedule, Edwards could get eight days of rest while only missing the two games. Minnesota hosts Memphis on Wednesday.

“It’s such a bummer, but sometimes it’s good for some players,” Hyland said. “Sometimes it’s just God opening a door for you. You still want to be there for your teammate if he’s injured, be a good person, good teammate, but also step up. When someone goes down, we’re all a team.”

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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards watches from the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, left, and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry speak after an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, center, reacts from the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)