Swiatek facing doping sanctions, agrees to ‘one-month suspension’ from tennis after failing doping test

London (UK), November 29 (ANI): Five-time Grand Slam champion tennis star Iga Swiatek has accepted a one-month suspension from tennis following her doping test failure in August 2024.

According to Olympics.com, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) issued a statement on Thursday, saying that the Polish star tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition test conducted in accordance with the Tennis Anti-Doping Regulations. Program dated August 12, 2024.

Swiatek was notified of his failed test on September 12 and his temporary suspension from that date. At the time, she was ranked as the number one player in the world in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

The former World Number One also claimed his positive test was due to contaminated melatonin tablets the player received from Poland due to “jet lag and sleep problems”. However, it did not have a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for these tablets.

ITIA said that after further investigation, they “recognized that the positive test was due to contamination of a regulated over-the-counter drug (melatonin).” “Swiatek was given a one-month suspension as the player’s level of fault was deemed to be at the lower end of the ‘No Significant Error or Negligence’ range.”

Swiatek accepted the sanction and the temporary suspension period (September 12 – October 4) will count towards the suspension period. The tennis star faces eight days of ineligibility, which will end on December 4 this year.

The WTA also released a statement supporting Iga “during this difficult period” and expressing their commitment to fair play and drug-free sport.

“This unfortunate incident highlights the difficulties athletes face in the use of medications and supplements,” the statement said.

The 23-year-old player recently played in the season-ending WTA Finals held in Riyadh. After winning the championship last time, he could not reach the semi-finals this time. (MOMENT)