Tennis player Iga Swiatek, number 2 in the world, has been suspended from the sport for a month for doping. The decision by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) was released this Thursday (28/11).
In August this year, an anti-doping test traced the presence of trimetazidine in Swiatek, a compound banned by the ITIA. The Polish woman explained that she ingested the substance when consuming melatonin, used to regulate the biological rhythm and stimulate sleep.
The athlete’s defense claimed that Iga had problems sleeping and had jetlegs. As melatonin is a permitted medication in Poland, the agency found the tennis player had “no significant fault or negligence”, therefore the punishment was 30 days.
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Has Iga already served a doping suspension?
Iga Swiatek was out of competition from September 22nd to October 4th, serving a provisional suspension.
Now, with the punishment, she will serve the remainder of her suspension between November 27th and December 4th.
In addition to the period without acting, Swiatek will return the prize money received at the WTA 1000 in Cincinnati, in August. The Polish reached the semifinals of the tournament, eliminated by Aryna Sabalenka.
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How is the ATP ranking for women’s tennis?
- 1 – Aryna Sabalenka [BLR] 9416
- 2 – Every Sweatek [POL] 8370
- 3 – Coco Gauff [EUA] 6530
- 4 – Jasmine Paolini [ITA] 5344
- 5-Qinwen Zheng [CHN] 5340
- 6 – Elena Rybakina [CAZ] 5171
- 7 – Jessica Pegula [EUA] 4705
- 8 – Emma Navarro [EUA] 3589
- 9 – Daria Kasatkina [RUS] 3368
- 10 – Barbora Krejcikova [CZE] 3214
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Doping cases in tennis
The sport has several cases of doping throughout its history. Check out three of the most emblematic:
What did Iga Swiatek say about the doping punishment?
The tennis player spoke through social media this Thursday (28/11):
– Finally I can… And, therefore, I want to share with you the most difficult experience of my life. Over the past two and a half months, I have undergone a rigorous process by the ITIA agency, which confirmed my innocence. The only positive drug test of my career, with an incredibly low concentration of a banned substance I had never heard of before, called into question everything I had worked for my entire life. My entire team and I faced enormous stress and fear. Now, everything has been clarified and, with a clear conscience, I can return to what I love most. I know that now I will be stronger than ever. I leave you with a long video and, today, I feel relief that it is all over. I want to be honest with you, and even though I know I did nothing wrong, out of respect for the fans and the public, I share all the details of this longest and most difficult tournament of my career. I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that you continue by my side.
