Poland’s Iga Swiatek reacts during a press conference ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
Ahead of taking part in the Australian Open, Polish tennis player and Iga Swiatek on Friday opened up about her recent suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in August.
“For sure, it wasn’t easy; it was probably, like, the worst time in my life. It got pretty awkward. Like we chose for the first tournament to say ‘personal reasons’ because we honestly thought the suspension is going to be lifted soon. From the beginning it was obvious that something was contaminated because the level of this substance in my urine was so low that it had to be contamination,” she said.
“We started, yeah with personal issues because I needed also time to figure everything out. Besides the fact I couldn’t play, this was the worst thing for me: What people would say. Because I always worked hard to be a good example, to show my integrity, show good behavior,” she said. “Having no control over this case really freaked me out a bit. But in the locker room, I mean, the girls are great,” the World No. 2 added.
The-then world number one was tested ahead of the Cincinnati Open and it was revealed by International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) that the 23-year-old would face a provisional ban. According to the agency, Swiatek had tested positive for low amounts of trimetazidine, a banned heart medication known as TMZ in a test held on August 10, ten days after she lost against Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open. Swiatek would play in the US Open, where she lost to Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals and was told about the one-month suspension on September 12.
Swiatek then missed Korea Open, China Open and Wuhan Open and also fortified her prize money from the Cincinnati Open. Later ITIA accepted that the positive test was due to the contamination of the non-prescription medication Melatonin, a medicine which the Polish player had taken for jet lag and sleep issues. As per the ITIA report, the former world number one gave a list of 14 medications or supplements she was using. The Polish player though did play in the WTA Finals and Billie Jean King Cup last month and had faced 22 days of suspension prior to that. Swiatek’s ban ended on December 4.
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