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World No 2 Iga Swiatek has been banned from tennis for one month after testing positive for a banned substance.
Swiatek tested for trimetazidine (TMZ), which enhances blood flow, in an out-of-competition sample ahead of the Cincinnati Open in August.
The 23-year-old was informed of the positive result by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on 12 September, and received a mandatory provisional suspension. She missed the Korea Open, China Open and Wuhan Open for “personal reasons”, losing her place as world No 1 to Aryna Sabalenka as a result.
On 4 October, the ITIA recommended Swiatek’s provisional ban be lifted, allowing her to compete at the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia and for Poland at the Billie Jean King Cup in Malaga.
On Thursday the ITIA issued a one-month ban, concluding after an investigation that she bore “no significant fault or negligence” and did not intentionally take trimetazidine.
Having served 22 days under provisional suspension, Swiatek is banned from tennis for a further eight days, and will therefore be free to play at the Australian Open in January. She has also been stripped of ranking points and prize money earned at the Cincinnati Open, where she reached the semi-finals.
In her defence, Swiatek submitted hair samples along with all of her regular supplements to two independent laboratories for testing, where it was found that a melatonin supplement to manage jetlag was the cause of the TMZ traces. An independent Wada-accredited lab commissioned by the ITIA further confirmed the results.
In a video statement, Swiatek said: “I was shocked and this whole situation made me very anxious. At first I couldn’t understand how that was even possible and where it came from.
“[Trimetazidine is] a substance I’ve never heard about before. I don’t think I even knew it existed. I have never encountered it, nor did people around me, so I had a strong sense of injustice. Either the sample was contaminated, or a supplement or medication that I was taking was contaminated.”
Swiatek added: “This experience, the most difficult in my life so far, taught me a lot. The whole thing will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life, it took a lot of strength, returning to training after this situation nearly broke my heart. So there were many tears and lot’s of sleepless nights.”
more to follow…
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