Iga Swiatek accepts one-month suspension in doping case
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, a heart medication known as TMZ, the International Tennis Integrity Agency announced Thursday.
Swiatek failed an out-of-competition drug test in August, and the ITIA accepted her explanation that the result was unintentional and was caused by the contamination of a nonprescription medication, melatonin, that Swiatek was taking for issues with jet lag and sleeping.
It was determined her level of fault was “at the lowest end of the range for no significant fault or negligence,” the ITIA said.
Swiatek has only eight days remaining on the punishment, after she was provisionally suspended from Sept. 22 to Oct. 4 and missed three tournaments.
She had said in September that she was missing the Korea Open, China Open and Wuhan Open for personal reasons.
The ITIA said Swaitek also forfeited her prize money from the Cincinnati Open, the first tournament she played after the failed test. Swiatek lost in the semifinals in Cincinnati.
Swiatek is a 23-year-old from Poland who was ranked No. 1 most of the past two seasons but is now at No. 2. She won the French Open in June for her fifth major championship and took home a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics in early August.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: espn.com