How Iga Swiatek explained away doping case and ‘contaminated’ melatonin product
The World No 2 has already served for the majority of her one-month suspension
Iga Swiatek is the second high-profile tennis player to test positive for a banned substance this year, with the five-time grand slam champion and current World No 2 receiving a one-month ban from the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA).
The ITIA announced on Thursday that Swiatek had accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ) – a medication used to treat heart conditions that, in a sporting context, can increase blood flow and improve endurance.
It comes just months after men’s World No 1 Jannik Sinner twice tested positive for clostebol, a banned anabolic steroid. Sinner was cleared as the ITIA accepted there was “no fault or negligence” – although the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA ) are appealing.
Meanwhile, Swiatek was found to have been “at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence” after the 23-year-old Polish player explained that her doping violation was caused by a contaminated supply of the non-prescription medication melatonin, which she uses to help with jet lag and sleep issues.
Following interviews with Swiatek and analysis of the medicine from independent laboratories, the ITIA accepted the explanation that the melatonin provided to her by her physio was contaminated during manufacturing, resulting in an extremely low trace of TMZ. Swiatek tested positive in an out-of-competition sample on August 12, before the Cincinnati Open.
