The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has suspended Polish five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek for one month after she tested positive for the illegal drug trimetazidine (TMZ), a heart medication. In August, the positive result came from an out-of-competition drug test.
The ITIA accepted Iga Swiatek explanation that the positive result was accidental and caused by a non-prescription melatonin medicine she was taking to treat jet lag and sleep problems. They determined her degree of fault to be “at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence.”
The top-ranked men’s player, Jannik Sinner, was cleared in August after failing two steroid tests in March and going on to win the U.S. Open.
This incident comes after another recent high-profile doping case involving Sinner. Currently rated No. 2, Swiatek won her fifth major championship in June at the French Open and took home a bronze at the Olympics in Paris in early August. Also read: Czech Tennis Boss Stays In Detention Amid Fraud Investigation
The 23-year-old has legally acknowledged breaking the anti-doping rule and agreed to pay the fine.
During the post-U.S. Open hard-court swing in Asia, she missed three tournaments due to a provisional suspension that lasted from September 22 to October 4. The authorities removed the temporary ban after her appeal demonstrated that tainted melatonin caused the positive test.
Swiatek will be able to return on December 4 after completing the final eight days of her one-month suspension during a time when there is no competition. The ITIA also penalized her by stripping her of the $158,944 in prize money she won at the August Cincinnati Open. Also read: Iga Swiatek’s Winning Streak Continues: Claims China Open Title