Iga Swiatek Opens Up About Her Suspension: 'A Dreadful Experience'
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Warsaw (Poland), Dec 7 (NationPress) Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek described her recent doping suspension as a horror and nightmare while emphasizing her determination to prove her innocence. Swiatek, 23, tested positive for trace amounts of Trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample taken on August 12.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on November 28 that the violation was unintentional, attributing the positive test to contamination in a regulated melatonin product she used for jet lag and sleep issues. Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension, retroactively served, allowing her to compete again by December 4, reports Xinhua.
'My reaction was very intense—confusion, panic, a lot of crying,' Swiatek told Polish media. 'It felt like something terrible had happened to my health or career.'
The Pole revealed she spent significant resources -- $70,000 on legal fees and €15,000 on expert tests -- to clear her name. 'The most important thing was to prove my innocence,' she said. Swiatek expressed relief that the ordeal ended swiftly. 'I can start the new season with a clean slate and focus on playing,' she concluded.
The ITIA has accepted that the prohibited substance was because of a contaminated regulated medication, which results in a No Significant Fault or Negligence finding, thus handing a one-month suspension.
'The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) today confirms that Iga Swiatek, a 23-year-old tennis player from Poland, has accepted a one-month suspension under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, after testing positive for the prohibited substance trimetazidine (TMZ) in an out-of-competition sample in August 2024,' the ITIA informed.
An investigation by ITIA has determined that the source for the presence of the banned substance was a contaminated regulated medication. The ITIA probe said the test results in no significant fault or negligence finding and thus handed a one-month suspension, the statement said.
