Girls’s tennis star Iga Swiatek, the winner of 5 Grand Slams, has accepted a one-month suspension after testing constructive for a banned substance, the Worldwide Tennis Integrity Company (ITIA) introduced on Thursday.
Swiatek, who has been ranked No. 1 on the planet for a lot of the previous two seasons, examined constructive for trimetazidine, a coronary heart remedy higher often known as TMZ, in an out-of-competition take a look at again in August.
The ITIA accepted her rationalization that the outcomes weren’t intentional, saying it was brought on by contamination of a nonprescription remedy, melatonin, which she makes use of for points with jet lag and sleeping.
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Iga Swiatek of Group Poland celebrates her victory towards Irina-Camelia Bego of Group Romania in the course of the Girls’s Singles First Spherical on day one of many Olympic Video games Paris 2024 at Roland Garros on July 27. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Photos)
The ITIA said that Swiatek’s stage of fault was “on the lowest finish of the vary for no important fault or negligence.”
Swiatek was beforehand suspended from Sept. 12 to Oct. 4, lacking three tournaments over that span — Korea Open, China Open and Wuhan Open — although she mentioned on the time it was because of private causes.
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Swiatek has solely eight days remaining on the punishment, which shall be served whereas there’s no competitors.
So, she shall be cleared to return on Monday.
Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates her win over Coco Gauff of america within the semifinal on Day 12 of the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on June 6. (Robert Prange/Getty Photos)
Together with the suspension, Swiatek has to forfeit $158,944 of prize cash from the Cincinnati Open, which she performed in after failing the take a look at. She finally misplaced within the semifinals.
In an Instagram video, Swiatek reacted to the ITIA’s determination, calling it the “worst expertise of my life.”
“Within the final two and a half months, I used to be topic to strict ITIA proceedings, which confirmed my innocence,” Swiatek mentioned within the video. “The one constructive doping take a look at in my profession, displaying unbelievably low stage of a banned substance I’ve by no means heard about earlier than, put every thing I’ve labored so arduous for my complete life into query.
“Each me and my staff needed to take care of large stress and nervousness. Now every thing has been rigorously defined, and with a clear slate I can return to what I like most.”
Iga Swiatek practices forward of the Omnium Banque Nationale on Aug. 4, 2023. (Patrice Lapointe/Tennis Canada through Omnium Banque Nationale)
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One other high-profile doping case got here in tennis with Jannik Sinner, who failed two assessments for a steroid in March. He was finally cleared in August proper earlier than the US Open, which he went on to win for his second Grand Slam.
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