Photo: Reuters file
French Open champion Iga Swiatek has received a one-month suspension for a positive doping test, after successfully convincing the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) that her use of the prohibited substance was unintentional. The ITIA announced this decision on Thursday.
Swiatek, a 23-year-old Polish player, tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample taken in August 2024. However, the ITIA accepted her explanation that the positive result was due to contamination in a regulated, non-prescription medication (melatonin) she had been taking for jet lag and sleep issues. The agency concluded that the violation was not intentional and that Swiatek's fault was minimal.
With five Grand Slam titles to her name, Swiatek agreed to the month-long suspension. She was provisionally suspended from September 22 to October 4, missing three tournaments, which counts towards the sanction, leaving her with eight days remaining. Additionally, she will forfeit the prize money from the Cincinnati Open, the tournament immediately following her test, where she lost to world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
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