World No 2 Iga Swiatek has been banned from tennis for one month after testing positive for a banned substance.
Swiatek, a five-time grand slam champion, tested for trimetazidine (TMZ), which enhances blood flow, in an out-of-competition sample ahead of the Cincinnati Open in August. But she was able to prove to anti-doping authorities that she was contaminated by a supplement to combat jet lag, ensuring minimal sanction.
The 23-year-old Polish star 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 based on the findings of an investigation, 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 that she bore “no significant fault or negligence” and did not intentionally take trimetazidine.
Having already served 22 days under provisional suspension, Swiatek is banned from tennis for a further eight days – during which time she is not scheduled to compete – and will 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.
As part of her defence, Swiatek submitted hair samples along with all of her regular supplements to two laboratories for testing, where it was found that a melatonin supplement to manage jet lag was the cause of the TMZ traces. An independent lab accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and 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.
“The tests showed that melatonin, which I’ve been using for a long time… the batch I had on me and had used before the Cincinnati tournament was contaminated during manufacturing. Melatonin is necessary for me, because all my travelling, jet lag and work-related stress mean that sometimes – without it – I couldn’t fall asleep.”
Swiatek split from her coach of three years, Tomasz Wiktorowski, in October.
She 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 lots of sleepless nights.”
The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) said in a statement: “The WTA fully supports Iga during this difficult time. Iga has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to fair play and upholding the principles of clean sport, and this unfortunate incident highlights the challenges athletes face in navigating the use of medications and supplements.”
The tennis world will be rocked by another high-profile case involving a player at the very top of the sport.
The announcement by the ITIA, which was kept tightly under wraps until this week, bears striking similarities to that of Jannik Sinner, the Italian world No 1 of men’s tennis who twice tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol in March.
Sinner’s case was kept secret until August, when the ITIA announced that he would face no consequences after his legal team argued to an independent tribunal that he had been contaminated by his physio during a massage. Wada has appealed against the decision.
On keeping Swiatek’s case confidential, the ITIA said: “As the player appealed the provisional suspension within 10 days of the notice and this appeal was successful, in line with the TADP (Tennis Anti-Doping Programme) rules, it was therefore not publicly disclosed.”
