Polish tennis superstar Iga Swiatek has accepted a one-month doping suspension after testing positive for trimetazidine (TMZ).
The banned substance – a heart medication – was found in a sample from August 2024 when the five-time major winner held the world No.1 status.
It was caused by contamination of the regulated non-prescription drug melatonin, which Swiatek was taking for jet lag and sleeping issues.
Swiatek, who clinched the French Open title this year, is currently ranked world No.2 after falling behind Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA standings.
She has now accepted a one-month ban after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) posted a statement on Thursday.
It will actually only last up until December 4, because of her provisional suspension, which saw Swiatek miss three tournaments in a row across Korea and China.
It should be noted that the 23-year-old bore no significant fault or negligence for the failed test. Her level of fault is considered to be at the lowest end of the range for ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’.
‘In the last two-and-a-half months I was subject to strict ITIA proceedings, which confirmed my innocence,’ Swiatek said on Instagram.
‘The only positive doping test in my career, showing unbelievably low level of a banned substance I’ve never heard about before, put everything I’ve worked so hard for my entire life into question.
‘Both me and my team had to deal with tremendous stress and anxiety. Now everything has been carefully explained, and with a clean slate I can go back to what I love most.’
The ITIA said in a statement: ‘The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) today confirms that Iga Świątek, a 23-year-old tennis player from Poland, has accepted a one-month suspension under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample in August 2024,’ the ITIA said in a statement.
‘The ITIA therefore offered a one-month suspension to Świątek and on 27 November 2024, the player, currently ranked number two in women’s singles, formally admitted the ADRV and accepted the sanction.
‘The player was provisionally suspended from 12 September until 4 October, missing three tournaments, which counts towards the sanction, leaving eight days remaining. In addition, the player also forfeits prize money from the Cincinnati Open, the tournament directly following the test.’
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