The shockwaves from Iga Swiatek’s suspension from tennis will come to an end on December 4, but will the punishment be extended after she failed a drug test?
The five-time Grand Slam champion was ranked world No 1 when she provided a sample containing the angina medication trimetazidine in an out-of-competition test on August 12.
In a case that echoes of world No 1 Jannik Sinner’s failed drug test from last March, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted Swiatek’s positive test was a result of contamination of the regulated non-prescription medication melatonin, which Swiatek took for jet lag and sleep issues.
They declared Swiatek’s level of fault was to be at the lowest end of the range for ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’.
That resulted in a one-month ban for Swiatek, with that decision sparking a huge debate among players who were treated very differently after they also failed drug tests.
Swiatek was provisionally suspended from September 22 until October 4, with the three tournaments the 23-year-old missed attributed to personal matters and a change of coach.
The Pole must serve an additional eight days to December 4 to make up the month, while she also forfeits her prize money from reaching the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open, the tournament directly following the test.
She gave her verdict in a lengthy video on her social media platforms with an emotional statement.
