MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Iga Swiatek, a self-described “control freak,” is taking new precautions — including holding on to extra samples of medicine she takes, in case they need to be tested at some point — after a doping case she described Friday as “probably, like, the worst time in my life.”
Jannik Sinner, another player who spent time at No. 1 and tested positive in 2024, said ahead of the Australian Open, where he's the defending champion, that he hasn't been told when the World Anti-Doping Agency's appeal of his exoneration will be heard in court.
“I know exactly as much as you guys know,” Sinner said in response to a reporter's question at a news conference Friday. “We are in a stage where we don’t know many, many things.”
As confident as he repeatedly has said he is about the eventual outcome, the 23-year-old Italian acknowledged that it's on his mind as the year's first Grand Slam tournament is set to begin Sunday (Saturday ET).
“Yeah, you think about this, of course,” Sinner said. “I would lie if I would tell you I forget.”
He and Swiatek, a five-time major champion, both were able to go for months last season without anyone knowing what was happening behind the scenes and that they'd failed tests.
Sinner tested positive twice for trace amounts of an anabolic steroid at a tournament in March; those results — and the fact that he was cleared by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) — did not come out until August, shortly before the start of the U.S. Open, which he would go on to win. He was cleared because the ITIA accepted his explanation: A trainer exposed Sinner to a banned substance by giving him a massage shortly after using a cream on his own injured finger.
Swiatek failed an out-of-competition drug test in August, but her one-month suspension wasn't known until late November, after she sat out three events without revealing why. By the time her case was announced by the ITIA — which accepted that her sample was tainted because of a contaminated sleep aid — all that was left for her to serve was a week, which landed in the offseason.
On Friday, Swiatek described the initial period she was sidelined, which she talked up at the time to personal reasons, as “pretty chaotic” and said, “For sure, it wasn’t easy; it was probably, like, the worst time in my life.”
“It got pretty awkward. Like we chose for the first tournament to say 'personal reasons’ because we honestly thought the suspension is going to be lifted soon. From the beginning it was obvious that something was contaminated because the level of this substance in my urine was so low that it had to be contamination,” Swiatek said.
“We started, yeah with ‘personal issues,’” she added, “because I needed also time to figure everything out.”
Swiatek said she was worried about what other players' reactions would be at the start of this season.
“Besides the fact I couldn’t play, this was the worst thing for me: What people would say. Because I always worked hard to be a good example, to show my integrity, show good behavior,” she said. “Having no control over this case really freaked me out a bit. But in the locker room, I mean, the girls are great.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Italy's Jannik Sinner takes a break during a practice session ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during a press conference ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts during a press conference ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
PARIS (AP) — For the first time in their 40-year history, the Italian design duo Dolce & Gabbana are showcasing their work in the French fashion capital. Paris, the birthplace of haute couture, now finds itself hosting a powerful Italian counterpoint to French luxury fashion.
The message, as curator Florence Müller puts it, is direct: “Yes, Italy does it too.”
The landmark exhibition, Du Coeur a la Main (From the Heart to the Hand) running from Jan. 10 to March 31, is a not only a love letter to Italian craftsmanship, but to the interconnectedness of fashion. “The story of couture is global,” Müller explained. “Embroidery, lace, brocade — they existed long before Parisian couture, in Italy, in India, and beyond.”
Spread across 1,200 square meters (1,400 square yards) of the newly refurbished Grand Palais, the exhibit showcases over 200 looks from the company's Alta Moda and Alta Sartoria collections and 300 handmade accessories, as well as objects like Sicilian ceramics. It includes 10 themed rooms that delve into the artistic roots of Dolce & Gabbana’s work.
Baroque grandeur defines the collection, unapologetically maximalist and layered with embellishments. Among the highlights is a gown inspired by Venice's Murano glass, encrusted with glass mosaics from Orsoni Venezia 1888, the glassmakers behind the golden mosaics of St. Mark's Basilica. Müller described it as “a sculpture on textile — pure craftsmanship elevated to art.”
Opera takes center stage. A black velvet gown softened by gold embellishments captures the drama of Bellini’s Norma, while a romantic blue dress for Verdi’s La Traviata flows like an aria, its tulle layers whispering love and loss. Meanwhile, icons of the brand, such as Sophia Loren and Naomi Campbell, are immortalized in giant paintings. Classical Italian opera and traditional Sicilian folk melodies provide the soundtrack, adding layers of drama.
But Du Coeur a la Main is not just about finished pieces. Five real seamstresses from Dolce & Gabbana’s Milan atelier work live during the exhibition, crafting bodices, bustiers and corsets before visitors’ eyes. “This seamstress is sewing lace to form a dress, while another is draping fabric by hand,” Müller said. “It’s extraordinary. This is not just fashion — it’s art.”
Sicily, Domenico Dolce’s birthplace, lies at the heart of the collection. Traditional Sicilian hand-painted carts, ceramics and lace-making techniques are woven into couture. Yet the exhibit also underscores fashion's often-ignored global influences.
“Luxury goods and artisans traveled more than we think,” Müller said. “The silk and brocades used at Versailles Palace came from India, and Italian artisans were hired to craft the Hall of Mirrors ... (Fashion) is constant exchanges and inspirations — this exhibit reveals what time forgot.”
Italian and French fashion have long been framed as rivals, with French conglomerates such as LVMH and Kering and Paris Fashion Week sometimes viewed as the pinnacle of the industry. But this exhibition challenges that hierarchy, showing that the two traditions are more interconnected than they are opposed. Both rely on les petites mains — "the little hands" — the artisans whose precision and passion elevate couture to art.
“The techniques may differ — Sicily’s lace traditions versus Paris’s tailoring — but the soul of couture remains the same: the human touch,” Müller said. The exhibit reveals the shared ingenuity of French and Italian ateliers, whether in a Sicilian workshop or a Parisian salon.
Even beyond couture, the exhibit highlights the breadth of “Made in Italy.” Everyday items like Smeg refrigerators and coffee presses given a D&G reworking reflect the ethos of Italian craftsmanship, transforming functional objects into canvases for artistry.
“Fashion is art. It’s meant to inspire, to dazzle, to make us dream. Whether you wear it once or never, its value is in its beauty, not its practicality,” Müller said.
When asked about hyperbole of the dazzling gowns — many of which seem impossible to wear on the street — she replies with a smile: “So what?”
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A rosary is seen on a creation displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A seamstress works on a dress during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A seamstress works on a dress during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Creations are displayed during the exhibition "From the Heart to the Hands: Dolce&Gabbana" at the Grand Palais, in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
