World No 2 Iga Swiatek has been banned from tennis for one month after testing positive for a banned substance.
Swiatek tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ), which enhances blood flow, in an out-of-competition sample ahead of the Cincinnati Open in August.
The 23-year-old was informed of the positive result by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on 12 September, and received a mandatory provisional suspension.
On Thursday, the ITIA issued a one-month ban, concluding after an investigation that Swiatek bore “no significant fault or negligence” and did not intentionally take trimetazidine.
In a video statement, Swiatek said: “I was shocked and this whole situation made me very anxious. At first I couldn’t understand how that was even possible and where it came from.
“[Trimetazidine is] a substance I’ve never heard about before. I don’t think I even knew it existed. I have never encountered it, nor did people around me, so I had a strong sense of injustice. Either the sample was contaminated, or a supplement or medication that I was taking was contaminated.”
She added: “This experience, the most difficult in my life so far, taught me a lot. The whole thing will definitely stay with me for the rest of my life, it took a lot of strength, returning to training after this situation nearly broke my heart. So there were many tears and lot’s of sleepless nights.”
more to follow…
