World number two Iga Swiatek has received a one-month ban from tennis competition after failing a drug test, according to an announcement from the International Tennis Integrity Agency.
The Polish star tested positive for trimetazidine – a medication that improves the heart’s glucose utilisation – during testing in August, resulting in a temporary suspension spanning from 12 September to 4 October.
During her provisional suspension, Swiatek withdrew from several prestigious tournaments including the Hana Bank Open, China Open, and Wuhan Open – with the latter two being WTA 1000 events – citing personal matters as the reason for her absence.
Both initial ‘A’ and confirmatory ‘B’ samples detected TMZ, though Swiatek launched an appeal on September 22, maintaining that contaminated over-the-counter melatonin supplements were responsible for the positive result.
The ITIA has determined that Swiatek’s TMZ exposure occurred through contaminated medication taken for sleep and jet lag issues, concluding that she had not knowingly consumed a prohibited substance.
Consequently, Swiatek was found to have “No Significant Fault or Negligence” for the violation, and she has agreed to the one-month suspension imposed by the ITIA on Wednesday.
Having already served most of her ban during her provisional suspension, Swiatek – who also forfeits her £125,429 prize money for reaching the Cincinnati Open semi-finals – will be free to return to tennis on December 4, 2024, meaning that she will not miss any more tournaments during the WTA’s off-season.
“Once the source of the TMZ had been established, it became clear that this was a highly unusual instance of a contaminated product, which in Poland is a regulated medicine,” a statement from ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse read.
“However, the product does not have the same designation globally, and the fact that a product is a regulated medication in one country cannot of itself be sufficient to avoid any level of fault. Taking into account the nature of the medication, and all the circumstances, it does place that fault at the lowest end of the scale.
“This case is an important reminder for tennis players of the strict liability nature of the World Anti-Doping Code and the importance of players carefully considering the use of supplements and medications. It is vital that appropriate due diligence takes place to minimise the risk of inadvertent ADRVs such as this.
“Help and support is available to players and their entourages, both directly through the ITIA, and through other organisations and schemes which check and test products.”
Swiatek won her fifth Grand Slam title and third consecutive French Open crown at Roland-Garros this year, before being knocked out of the WTA Finals in the round-robin stage earlier this month.
Men’s world number one Jannik Sinner also failed a doping test earlier in 2024 and was cleared by the ITIA, but the World-Anti Doping Association (WADA) has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and are seeking a ban of one to two years for the Italian.
The hearing into Sinner’s case is scheduled to take place in early 2025.
