Iga Swiatek Doping Case: How the drugs controversy started, how TMZ entered her system, & everything else you need to know about the timeline

Following an announcement by the International Tennis Integrity Agency, Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, a heart medication known as TMZ.

Swiatek formally admitted the anti-doping rule violation on Wednesday and accepted her penalty. Swiatek is serving a penalty of seven days currently. As the WTA season is over, this does not affect her participation in tournaments. She will be cleared to return to play on December 4 as things stand.

The five-time Grand Slam champion said testing positive was "the worst experience of my life," and took to Instagram to confirm the suspension. She said (via ESPN),

"In the last 2½ months, I was subject to strict ITIA proceedings, which confirmed my innocence. 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.

She added,

"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."

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Timeline of Iga Swiatek's doping case

While the tennis star formally admitted to the offense now, the case dates back to August when Iga Swiatek failed an out-of-competition urine sample. However, the ITIA accepted her explanation that the result was unintentional and was caused by the contamination of a nonprescription medication, melatonin, that she was taking for issues with jet lag and sleeping.

She was provisionally suspended for a month from 12 September 2024, due to which she missed three tournaments, the Korea Open, the China Open, and the Wuhan Open. On 22 September, she appealed the suspension by citing the aforementioned contaminated product as the source.

Swiatek reported to the independent tribunal chair that a regulated non-prescription melatonin product, produced and monitored in Poland, was found to be contaminated with TMZ, which was determined to be the cause of the positive test. Based on this, the appeal was successful and the suspension was lifted on October 4.

The ITIA accepted Swiatek's explanation and issued a statement that read (via CNN):

“The ITIA accepted that the positive test was caused by the contamination of a regulated non-prescription medication (melatonin), manufactured and sold in Poland that the player had been taking for jet lag and sleep issues, and that the violation was therefore not intentional.”

After the ban, Swiatek returned to play the WTA Finals and Billie Jean King Cup. However, while she served her suspension, she lost her World No.1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka. According to the ITIA, she also forfeited her prize money of $158,944 from the Cincinnati Open, the first tournament she played after the failed test.

On 27 November, Swiatek accepted the suspension which had seven days remaining to be served.

Meanwhile, the WTA released a statement that said:

"Iga has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to fair play and upholding the principles of clean sport, and this unfortunate incident highlights the challenges athletes face in navigating the use of medications and supplements.

"The WTA remains steadfast in our support for a clean sport and the rigorous processes that protect the integrity of competition. We also emphasize that athletes must take every precaution to verify the safety and compliance of all products they use, as even unintentional exposure to prohibited substances can have significant consequences."

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Similarities with Sinner's Case

Iga Swiatek's case reminded tennis observers and fans of a similar high-profile case, that of Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner. Sinner tested positive for clostebol in March, but the case was made public months after the test.

According to the ATP World No.1, he was exposed to the drug through a spray used by his physiotherapist. Sinner said the latter used it to treat a wound he had, before giving the player a massage. He thus claimed that the exposure was unintentional, which was accepted by the ITIA. However, questions were raised about the issue not being brought to light in March instead of in September.

In Swiatek’s case, the ITIA said that the positive test was initially not made public “in accordance with regulations" since she appealed her provisional suspension within ten days of the notice, which was also stated by the ITIA in Sinner's case.

In both cases, the medication can be easily bought over the counter in the players' respective home countries and both claimed the drugs entered their bodies unintentionally. In their respective appeals, they were both also able to explain the source of the positive test, with Swiatek's case being verified by a WADA-accredited laboratory in Utah.