Iga Swiatek, the women’s world No. 2 tennis player, has received a one-month doping ban after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine (TMZ).
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) issued the ban on Thursday November 28, after ruling that the player’s level of fault was at the lowest end of the range for ‘No Significant Fault or Negligence’ and not intentional.
Having already served 22 days of the ban while the process was ongoing, Swiatek — a five-time Grand Slam winner who has spent more than 100 weeks as world No. 1 — has eight more days to serve and so will be eligible to play at the Australian Open in January.
Swiatek, 23, tested positive for a trace concentration of TMZ, a drug normally used as heart medication for its ability to enhance blood flow, in an out-of-competition sample on August 12 ahead of the Cincinnati Open.
Swiatek was informed of the positive test by the ITIA exactly one month later on September 12 and given a mandatory provisional suspension.
Swiatek appealed the provisional suspension within 10 days of the original notice. The appeal was successful, so her provisional suspension was not publicly disclosed. This is in line with the TADP (Tennis Anti-Doping Programme) regulations. This is the same mechanism by which
