‘I Want to Be Transparent’

Polish tennis star says he tested positive for doping due to contaminated melatonin

Polish tennis star Iga Świātek He cited his one-month suspension following a failed doping test.

Following an announcement from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) expression Announcing on Thursday, November 28 that 23-year-old Świątek had accepted a one-month ban under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program following a positive test result for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ), the world No. 2 tennis player explained: “it is a difficult” situation. Instagram reel.

“I want to be transparent with you and I want you to understand,” Świątek said in the video, noting that he was “finally allowed to speak” about the failed doping test meeting on August 12.

The athlete explained in the video’s caption that he has been subject to “strict ITIA investigation” for the last two and a half years, adding, “So I want to instantly share with you what has become the worst experience of my life.” Months have passed since he was notified of his positive test result on September 12.

Świątek said the trial “confirmed my innocence” and claimed he had “never heard of” the substance he tested positive for before the unsuccessful result.

“The only positive doping test of my career, which showed an incredibly low level of a banned substance I had never heard of before, brought into question everything I had worked hard for my entire life,” Świątek wrote.

He said he was “shocked” when he received the positive result. “And this whole situation made me very worried,” he continued, adding: “At first I couldn’t understand how this was possible.”

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“Both I and my Team have had to deal with tremendous stress and anxiety,” the Polish tennis star said. “Now everything has been carefully explained and I can return to what I love most with a clean slate.”

Świątek thanked his fans for standing by him during the suspension period. “If it wasn’t for my supporters, I’m not sure I would have found the strength to go on and keep fighting. I have now fought the toughest fight of my life and I hope you will stay with me and continue to support me.”

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Ultimately, Świątek claimed that he tested positive due to the contaminated batch of melatonin he was taking for sleep problems.

“We reacted and cooperated with ITIA immediately,” explained Świątek. “The detected concentration, which was extremely low, indicated – or made clear – that the sample was contaminated or that a supplement or medication I was taking was contaminated, so we focused on testing.”

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Confirming that melatonin was contaminated during production, Świątek said: “It was shocking to hear, but it also explained a lot of things.” he said.

ITIA accepted this finding after conducting “research and analysis from two WADA-accredited laboratories.”

“ITIA accepted that the positive test was due to contamination of a regulated non-prescription drug (melatonin), produced and sold in Poland, which the player used for jet lag and sleep problems, and therefore the violation was not intentional,” the agency said in a statement on November 28.