Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek suspended 1-month for doping

Tennis prima and five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek has been suspended 1 period for a doping violation, she revealed connected Thanksgiving Day.

Swiatek, 23, tested affirmative for trimetazidine, a banned bosom medicine known amended arsenic TMZ, successful August. She said the effect of the trial was unintentional and caused by contamination of a slumber medication, melatonin, which is disposable implicit the antagonistic successful the U.S.

“The full happening volition decidedly enactment with maine for the remainder of my life. It took a batch to instrumentality to grooming aft the concern astir broke my heart, truthful determination were galore tears and tons of sleepless nights,” Swiatek said successful an Instagram video.

Iga Swiatek. (Angel Martinez/Getty Images for ITF)

The International Tennis Integrity Agency, which handles tennis doping cases, said Swiatek’s level of responsibility was “at the lowest extremity of the scope for nary important responsibility oregon negligence.”

Swiatek secretly served 22 days of the 30-day suspension from Sept. 12 to Oct. 4, missing the Korea Open, the China Open and the Wuhan Open portion she was provisionally suspended. At the time, Swiatek said she was missing the Asian hardcourt tournaments for “personal reasons.”

On Wednesday, Swiatek formally accepted the one-month suspension, meaning she volition service the remaining 8 days erstwhile nary tournaments are scheduled. Swiatek besides forfeited $158,944 successful prize money, which she earned from a semifinal quality astatine the Cincinnati Open instantly aft the affirmative trial result.

“This experience, the astir hard successful my beingness truthful far, taught maine a lot,” Swiatek said successful her societal media video. “I tin commencement my caller play with a cleanable slate, focused connected what I’ve ever done — simply playing tennis.”

Swiatek’s lawsuit bears immoderate resemblance to the doping lawsuit of different young tennis star, men’s satellite No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Sinner was capable to avoid a suspension successful his case, arsenic his idiosyncratic squad worked rapidly to beryllium his innocence, and the ITIA accepted his explanation.

With News Wire Services