Iga Swiatek says she is grateful for the support from her fellow players since she returned from a one-month doping suspension.
Five-time major winner Swiatek’s positive test for the heart medication trimetazidine (TMZ) in August was accepted as being caused by contamination.
The ban was not made public until November, and Poland’s Swiatek said she felt “pretty awkward” about not being able to say why she missed three tournaments during that time.
Swiatek attributed her absence at the time to fatigue, personal reasons and a change of coach.
Four-time French Open champion Swiatek said she considered announcing the reason for her absence sooner but decided it would be “easier to tell the whole story when it is complete”.
In a news conference at the Australian Open, Swiatek said: “It was probably the worst time in my life.
“The fact I had no control over this whole situation and I had no chance to avoid it made it even worse because I’m a control freak a little bit.
“Having the feeling that everything that I built can be taken away so quickly because of something you have no control over was pretty crazy for me and really abstract.”
Swiatek competed at the WTA Finals and Billie Jean King Cup Finals after her provisional suspension was lifted, but before her ban was made public.
The 23-year-old previously said she was “scared” of a hostile reaction from her fellow players.
“In the locker room, the girls are great. They are really supportive,” said Swiatek.
“Most of them approached me. They’re like, ‘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.
“I really appreciate that, because it made me feel better when I came back and I didn’t know how it was going to be.”
Swiatek begins her Australian Open campaign against Czech Katerina Siniakova, with the tournament starting on Sunday.
