Why did Iga Swiatek receive a one-month doping ban? What test came back positive? | Tennis News

Iga Swiatek became the second high-profile tennis player to test positive for a banned substance this year, after Jannik Sinner. While Sinner, currently ranked #1, was completely cleared, Swiatek, who dropped from #1 to #2 last month, accepted the one-month suspension announced on Thursday.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency said Swiatek’s contaminated urine sample was determined to be the result of a contaminated medication he had taken, and therefore he carries a low level of liability.

“These are not intentional doping cases. These are, in Sinner’s case… there is no fault or negligence,” ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said in a video call with reporters. “So I don’t think it’s a concern for tennis fans and the like,” he said.

Here’s a look at the details of two cases:

Who is Iga Swiatek?

Swiatek is a 23-year-old Polish player with five Grand Slam titles and has been the top player in women’s tennis over the past 2 1/2 seasons, especially on clay courts. He has won four of the last five French Open titles, including the last three in a row, and a US Open title, and has been ranked No. 1 almost every week since April 2022. Swiatek also won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in 2020. Early August.

When did Swiatek fail a drug test? What test came back positive?

Out-of-competition testing conducted on August 12, 10 days after his final match at the Summer Games and shortly before the start of the Cincinnati Open, Swiatek’s urine showed low amounts of trimetazidine, a banned heart drug commonly referred to as TMZ. . She was told she had been given an interim suspension on September 12, eight days after losing to Jessica Pegula in the US Open quarterfinals. Swiatek was found to be contaminated with the sleeping pill melatonin, which her psychologist purchased for her from a pharmacy in Poland and was sold as a medicine, TMZ reported. According to the ITIA report, Swiatek listed 14 medications or supplements he used, though not melatonin.

What is trimetazidine or TMZ?

According to the European Medicines Agency, trimetazidine is a metabolic agent that may help prevent angina attacks when used as “add-on therapy.” It can improve blood flow efficiency and increase endurance; both are crucial for high-level athletic performance. It is on the banned list of the World Anti-Doping Agency in the “hormonal and metabolic modulators” category. The clause was also revealed to be involved in cases of past Olympic athletes, including Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva and 23 Chinese swimmers.

When was Swiatek suspended? ‘Banned’ during the offseason?

Swiatek was given an interim ban starting after the US Open in September, but that ban was lifted because it quickly offered a credible explanation for the contamination – an explanation supported by testing, ITIA said. After the US Open, he missed three tournaments during the tournament in Asia, although he did not reveal the real reason for his departure from the team at the time. In the end, ITIA and Swiatek agreed that he would serve a one-month suspension; Since he was already credited for time missed, he had eight days remaining on his “one month” suspension, meaning he is currently “serving” those suspensions even though the season is over. Swiatek had the opportunity to play in the WTA Finals and the Billie Jean King Cup. “The worst part about this was the uncertainty,” he said. “I didn’t know what would happen in my career, how things would turn out, or whether I would be allowed to play tennis.”

What’s going on in Jannik Sinner’s case?

Sinner twice tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid in March, but nothing emerged until August, just before the US Open, where he went on to win his second Grand Slam title in 2024. As with Swiatek, the cases remained silent. until resolved, because both players offered explanations that ITIA found reasonable. He blamed this on the cream his trainer used before massaging Sinner, and was therefore fully exonerated – although WADA appealed that decision – with Swiatek found to be “at the lower end of the range, with no significant fault or negligence”. and so a light sentence was given. Asked whether there were special rules determining the duration of bans in such cases, Moorhouse said: “No, there are not. This is not the place to put these things into the machine and it ends up spitting out a number at you. “It’s a case of taking everything in the round into consideration, taking into account all the circumstances and facts of the case to come to the right conclusion.”