Iga Swiatek opens up on failed drug test and insists Simona Halep case is different
Iga Swiatek has given her most detailed interview on her failed drug test, as she admitted there was ‘a lot of crying’ after she received an email confirming the news.
The five-time Grand Slam champion was ranked world No 1 when she provided a sample containing the angina medication trimetazidine in an out-of-competition test on August 12.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted Swiatek’s explanation that the failed test was caused by contamination of the regulated non-prescription medication melatonin, manufactured and sold in Poland, which Swiatek took for jet lag and sleep issues.
Swiatek’s level of fault was therefore considered to be at the lowest end of the range for ‘no significant fault or negligence’.
She accepted a one-month suspension and now she has revealed the emotions she has lived through over the last few months in an interview with TVN24.
Swiatek revealed how she was informed about the failed drug test, with the message that rocked her world coming a huge shock.
“It was an email. We get notifications by email and text when there’s a problem or when we need to complete something in the documents,” she stated.
“I opened this message, thinking it was one of those automatic notifications that players get when they need to do something .
“But this time, it turned out the email was much more serious. I couldn’t even finish reading it because I was already in tears.
