Iga Swiatek is the second high-profile tennis player to test positive for a banned substance this year, joining the World No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
While Sinner was fully cleared, Swiatek, who dropped from World No. 1 to No. 2 last month, accepted a one-month suspension that was handed to her and announced on Thursday (November 28).
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said it determined that Swiatek’s tainted urine sample was because of a contaminated medicine she consumed so the level of responsibility was low.
“These are not cases of intentional doping. These are cases — in Sinner’s case … no fault or negligence. In (Swiatek’s) case, very low end, no significant fault or negligence,” ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said. “So I don’t think this is a cause for concern for tennis fans and the like.”
A quick look at the specifics of the two cases surrounding Swiatek and Sinner.
Who is Iga Swiatek?
Swiatek, 23, has won five Grand Slam titles and has been the best player in women’s tennis over the past two-and-half seasons, particularly on clay courts. She won four of the past five French Open titles, including the last three in a row, plus one US Open, and has been ranked World No. 1 for nearly every week since April 2022. The Polish player also won a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in August.
When did Swiatek fail the drug test?
Swiatek had tested positive for an out-of-competition test on August 12 – 10 days after her last match at the Olympics and before the North American hardcourt swing in Cincinnati.
She was notified she was being provisionally suspended on September 12, eight days after losing to Jessica Pegula in the US Open quarterfinals.
What did she test positive for?
Swiatek’s urine sample showed low amounts of trimetazidine, a banned heart medication commonly referred to as TMZ.
It was found that the TMZ had contaminated a sleep aid, melatonin, that Swiatek’s psychologist bought for her at a pharmacy in Poland, where it is sold as a medicine.
According to the ITIA report, Swiatek listed 14 medications or supplements she was using, although not melatonin.
What is trimetazidine, or TMZ?
Trimetazidine is a metabolic agent that can help prevent angina attacks if used as an “add-on treatment,” according to the European Medicines Agency.
It can increase blood flow efficiency and improve endurance — both crucial to high-end athletic performance. It is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list in the category of “hormone and metabolic modulators.”
The substance was involved in past Olympic athletes’ cases involving Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva and 23 Chinese swimmers.
When was Swiatek suspended?
Swiatek was provisionally suspended in September, after the US Open, but that was lifted because she quickly offered a believable explanation for the contamination — one that was backed up by tests, the ITIA said.
During this period, she missed three tournaments – China Open (in Beijing), Korea Open and Wuhan Open – although she had cited ‘personal reasons’ for missing the tournaments.
Is she ‘banned’ during the offseason?
The ITIA and Swiatek agreed she would serve a one-month suspension. She was credited for the time she had already missed, equivalent to 22 days. As a result, there are eight days remaining in the suspension and she will serve that now even though the season is over.
Swiatek was able to play in the WTA Finals and the Billie Jean King Cup. “The worst part of it was the uncertainty,” she said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen with my career, how things would end or if I would be allowed to play tennis at all.”
Aside, what is happening with Jannik Sinner’s case?
Sinner had tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid twice in March, but nothing came to light until August, ahead of the US Open, which he went on to win for his second major title of 2024.
Like Swiatek, the cases were kept quiet until they were resolved because both players offered what ITIA found to be plausible explanations. He blamed it on a cream his trainer used before giving the Italian a massage and was cleared completely — although WADA has appealed that ruling — while Swiatek was found to have been “at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence,” and so was given a light punishment.
Asked whether there are guidelines that determine the lengths of bans, ITIA CEO Karen Moorhouse said: “No, there isn’t. This is not where you put these things into machine and it spits you out a number at the end of it. It’s a case of considering everything in the round, take into account all the circumstances and facts in the case to come to the right outcome.”
