
Audio By Carbonatix
World number two and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek has accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance.
The 23-year-old reigning French Open champion tested positive for a heart medication, trimetazidine (TMZ), in an out-of-competition sample in August 2024, when she was world number one.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted that it 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'.
"In the last two-and-a-half months I was subject to strict ITIA proceedings, which confirmed my innocence," she said on Instagram.
"The only positive doping test in my career, showing unbelievably low level of a banned substance I've never heard about before, put everything I've worked so hard for my entire life into question.
"Both me and my team had to deal with tremendous stress and anxiety. Now everything has been carefully explained, and with a clean slate I can go back to what I love most."
Swiatek was provisionally suspended from 12 September before successfully appealing, missing three tournaments.
The Polish player appealed the provisional suspension on 22 September, notifying an independent tribunal that the source of the positive test had been identified as a contaminated medicine manufactured in her home country.
After testing confirmed Swiatek's account, the ITIA offered her a one-month suspension which she accepted on Wednesday.
Because her provisional suspension was lifted on 4 October, Swiatek's period of ineligibility will end on 4 December 2024.
The Pole was also forced to forfeit the prize money from her run to the Cincinnati Open semi-finals, the tournament that directly followed the test.
Latest Stories
-
GRIDCo, ECG temporarily shut down Mallam and Achimota substations over flood risk
5 minutes -
Floodwaters cut off Winneba–Cape Coast highway, leaving hundreds stranded
6 minutes -
UTAG-UCC rejects GTEC promotion harmonisation plan, cites threats to university autonomy
22 minutes -
GNFS battles major rubber factory fire at Circle as heavy rains hamper response
47 minutes -
GAF deploy troops to flood-hit communities in Accra under ‘Operation Boafo’
1 hour -
Ghana School of Law postpones June 29 examinations due to Accra flooding and heavy rainfall
1 hour -
Adopt NPA’s transparent pricing model to build public trust – CEMSE tells PURC
1 hour -
Work from home as flooding intensifies – Interior Minister urges Accra residents
2 hours -
US Embassy hosts Black Stars watch party in Tamale to strengthen community engagement
2 hours -
Kwame Nkrumah Circle floods leave hundreds of commuters stranded
2 hours -
NADMO announces toll-free line for flood and disaster emergencies
2 hours -
Flooding disrupts movement on Accra–Kumasi highway
2 hours -
Don’t force your way through floodwaters – NADMO warns
2 hours -
CHAG, government and partners chart new path for people-centred healthcare
2 hours -
Over-reliance on imported medicines threatens national security – Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana
2 hours